VASKEO is a company specialized in the design to kitchen and bathroom. VASKEO  have just created a range of design washbasin which meets a beautiful success.

It is in 2010 that VASKEO came into the conception and the distribution of luxury furniture for bathroom. Since the beginning we chose to put the design in the center of our process of development. So they decided to work only with one material called “Solid Surface”, a noble and contemporary material which allows us the free expression of our creativity. Tuned to the last trends, VASKEO’s vocation is to propose original and singular products.

Pour vous ooffrir les meilleures garanties en terme de qualité, nous avons choisi de produire l'ensemble de notre collection en France. VASKEO  is so benefit from the technical experience(experiment), but also from the knowledge of our partners to answer at best the realization of your most ambitious projects.

+ For more information, visit  http://www.vaskeo.com/

Cocoon 120 min, image courtesy VASKEO

Diamond, image courtesy VASKEO

Linea 120, image courtesy VASKEO

Ring, image courtesy VASKEO

Volkeo 80, image courtesy VASKEO

+ All images courtesy VASKEO

+ More sanitary design on +MOOD

The Cube & Dot Collections | Tamer Nakisci

NOTE Basins | Sanindusa

Narrabeen is a suburb with housing plots and street layouts characteristic of the ‘garden suburb’ ideals espoused by early 20th cen- tury Australian town planning. The Narrabeen House of 2009 sits in this historical context amongst the other two storey family homes with each dutifully addressing a quiet, tree-lined street.

Narrabeen House, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera | Photo by Simon Whitbread

It is a safe and familiar setting; no hint is given of the spectacular fresh water lagoon flowing to the ocean through each house's backyard.

Narrabeen House, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera | Photo by Simon Whitbread

The Narrabeen House plays with this dramatic contrast between the back and front of the property – Narrabeen Lagoon to one side, unremarkable suburban street on the other – in search of the 'suburban dream'. We were deliberately conservative with how the house is presented to the public while inwardly pursuing ideas of oasis and retreat where the water experience could be used to maximum impact – in effect, amplifying the current contrast between street and lagoon.

Narrabeen House, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera | Photo by Simon Whitbread

This sets up two key planning strategies.

Firstly, a central courtyard is introduced as the principal organising element for the planning with all of the house's key shared spaces – living room, dining room, kitchen, study and pool – grouped around the courtyard to connect these spaces visually, and physically when the courtyard walls are opened up.

Narrabeen House, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

The arrangement promotes a socially inclusive dynamic as well as extending the spatial opportunities of the house. The courtyard also has a significant environmental role bringing sun, light and air into the centre of the house.

Narrabeen House, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera | Photo by Simon Whitbread

+ Design statement

The Narrabeen House is located on the edge of Narrabeen Lagoon and is fortunate to have outlook across water to an untouched island dense with casuarinas.

By contrast, the street context is unremarkable without the slightest hint of the lagoon beyond the houses lining the street and manages to give the impression of being deep in suburbia.

The house is new and replaces a former 1970s cream brick house that functioned poorly and like many other houses from the time, did little to engage with the unique environmental qualities of the lagoon.

Narrabeen House, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera | Photo by Simon Whitbread

In starting this project, we clearly wanted to re-dress the connection with the lagoon and island, but also found ourselves drawn to the suburban qualities of the street and this dramatic contrast between the front and back of the property.

This led us to think about the project within the framework of the 'suburban ideal' – a framework that would allow the house to address the street as any other suburban house would, while inwardly pursuing the ideals of oasis and retreat where the water experience could be used to maximum impact – in effect, amplifying the current contrast between street and lagoon.

From the street, the house's composition is built around the entrance, driveway and garage like any typical suburban house however the impact of these domestic elements is diffused by melding them into a singular architectural expression and form. The broad facade combined with the floating skirt detail give the house a horizontal proportion and even though the dark timber cladding gives the building a 'stealth' like appearance, it still withholds the drama of the lagoon beyond.

Narrabeen House, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera | Photo by Simon Whitbread

This sets up two key planning strategies.

Firstly, a central courtyard is introduced as the principal organising element for the planning with all of the house's key public spaces – living room, dining room, kitchen, study and pool – grouped around the courtyard to connect these spaces visually, and physically when the courtyard walls are opened up. The arrangement promotes a socially inclusive dynamic as well as extending the spatial opportunities of the house. The courtyard also has a significant environmental role bringing sun, light and air into the centre of the house.

Secondly, the planning is composed to deliberately isolate the occupant from the suburban surrounds to heighten the sense of oasis and privateness. This process begins at the street bringing visitors through a succession of exterior spaces that gradually compress and remove the street context through a composition of fences, full height screens and thresholds. The entry sequence eventually terminates at a solid doorway where the sense of intrigue peaks. Rather than entering into a hallway, one arrives in the courtyard where the full extent of the private domain, the lagoon and island are revealed and any sense of the outside world removed.

Narrabeen House, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera | Photo by Simon Whitbread

The house also has an unusual sectional arrangement driven partly by the requirement to elevate the interior 1.2m above ground level to safeguard against flooding but also by the desire to have open plan spaces with dual aspect – north for sun and south for the view. Whilst this introduces issues with the scale relationship of the house to its neighbours, it enables a more interesting multilevel relationship between interior and exterior living spaces to occur.

This combination of sectional interplay with the layout of spaces in relation to the courtyard is what enables the layering of spaces to occur – it is possible to view the courtyard, living room, lagoon side deck, lagoon and island as backdrop in just one vista from the study.

Flood raising 1200mm helps by introducing level changes that step and advantage the deeper views. Porosity radically increases experience of exterior framed views, elevated The vistas from the key living areas and courtyard are composed to heighten the sense of connection with the lagoon and place the island as the key visual terminating feature.

The materiality further develops the notion of oasis with a simple calming palette of warm natural materials that have a beneficial environmental effect while connecting the house with the natural environment of the lagoon and island.

Narrabeen House - Site plan, drawing courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

Narrabeen House - Ground floor plan, drawing courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

Narrabeen House - First plan, drawing courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

+ Project credits / data

Project: Narrabeen House
Location: North Narrabeen, NSW, Australia
Program: Private House, Pool & Deck
Floor Area: 300 sqm
Cost: AU$ 1.5 m (total incl. pool and landscape)
Start & Completion Date: 10.2005 – 10.2009
Service: Design, Documentation & Site Services
Status: Built

Architect: Choi Ropiha Fighera | http://www.chrofi.com/
Builder: Greybuilt
Collaborators: William Morgia, Cost Plus, ExParrot
Photography: Simon Whitbread, Choi Ropiha Fighera
Builder: Greybuilt

+ All images & drawings courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

The design is inspired by the natural 'sun trap' edges that exist along many of Sydney’s beaches, landscape escarpments and the bow form of ships that traverse the waters of Port Botany.

Choi Ropiha Fighera

The Millstream Lookout is located at the western end of the foreshore beach park at Port Botany. The concept makes use of an engineering rock groyne by manipulating the structure to become part of the landscape composition. The edges are contoured to soften the form and to provide a more integrated edge to the beach whilst the surface is paved and decked to facilitate public access. This gesture transforms this utilitarian structure into a ‘landscape’ element that provides a lookout, provides opportunity to view the water from a different perspective, and provides a termination to the foreshore pedestrian and cycle path.

Port Botany Lookout, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

The lookout experience begins at the end of the pathway with a ramp that climbs at an accessible gradient to the lookout area. The lookout edges lean toward a view corridor out to the ocean but at the same time providing a 270 degree vantage point of Botany Bay. Interpretive signage is integrated into the balustrade structure to coincide with the view directly in front of the viewer. Seating is also provided to allow walkers and cyclists to stop and rest.

Port Botany Lookout, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

The design is inspired by the natural ‘sun trap’ edges that exist along many of Sydney’s beaches, landscape escarpments and the bow form of ships that traverse the waters of Port Botany.

The construction features durable natural finishes such as recycled hardwoods, 'Corten' steel and textured concrete so that the structure will age gracefully whilst also requiring a lower level of maintenance.

Port Botany Lookout, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

+ Design statement

In Port Botany harbour an engineered rock groyne stretches from the end of a beach across the water towards Sydney Airport's north – south runway. The tip of this groyne is the site of the Port Botany Lookout. Previously wasteland, the area now has a park and beach connected by a new pedestrian and cycle path. The lookout is the termination point for this foreshore experience.

Port Botany Lookout, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

First seen on approach from the pedestrian path the lookout’s silhouette may evoke a wrecked ship’s bow, enticing one to a destination for viewing. A ramped pathway leads to a lookout platform. The handrail edges lean in a 270 degree arc towards Port Botany, pointing to the spectacle of planes flying low across the water. A seat is provided to allow walkers and cyclists to stop, pause, observe or rest. The jutting form is softened with a wing-like tapering profile, integrating the lookout with the unusual beach and airport landscape composition.

Port Botany Lookout - Floor plan, drawing courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

Although ameliorated, the lookout’s context is still gritty and industrial, pervaded by shipping cranes, traversing tankers, and an air continuously punctuated by soaring planes. Sympathetically, the lookout was designed for pre-fabrication in a neighbouring factory whereby the architectural CAD 3D model was transformed directly into steel plates; a clinical conception from idea to construction.

Port Botany Lookout - Section 1, drawing courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

It was a process that transformed a single thickness of sheet steel into a robust and complex three dimensional shape.

Port Botany Lookout, image courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

From immaculate factory assembly the structure was craned into position and left exposed to the elements. An immediate defensive reaction ensued in which the lookout’s outer layers of steel molecules sacrificially rusted to protect the integrity of the overall structure. The structure’s gesture of preservation saw it blossom from a raw matt finish into a rich orange texture, perhaps indicating a healthy synergy between the lookout and its industrial setting.

+ Project credits / data

Project: Port Botany Lookout, Port Botany Expansion
Location: Botany Bay, NSW, Australia
Client: Sydney Ports Authority
Program: Lookout
Floor Area: 85 sqm
Service: Design & Documentation
Status: Built

Architect: Choi Ropiha Fighera | http://www.chrofi.com/
Collaborators: EDAW, Maunsell, Northrop
Park Design: EDAW
Photography: Choi Ropiha Fighera
Client: Sydney Ports Authority
Collaborators: EDAW, Maunsell, Northrop
Park Design: EDAW

+ All images courtesy Choi Ropiha Fighera

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Aurland Lookout | Todd Saunders + Tommie Wilhelmsen

Bondi to Bronte Coast Walk Extension | ASPECT Studios

The Austrian architects Coop Himmelb(l)au has been awarded Two International Awards.

BMW Welt, Munich, Germany, 2001-2007 © COOP HIMMELB(L)AU/Helene Binet

The Dedalo Minosse International Prize

COOP HIMMELB(L)AU received the Dedalo Minosse International Prize for commissioning a building for their design of the BMW Welt in Munich on June 24, 2011 in Vicenza, Italy.

The Dedalo Minosse International Prize was handed over by Bruno Gabbiani, president of the Italian association ALA – Assoarchitetti during a festive awards ceremony. According to the organizers the Prize boosts “the quality of architecture looking at final result, analysing and focusing on project and constructive plan process and giving a special attention to people who determine the success of the work: the architect and the client, supported by the project executors (the building firms) and the public administrations”.

The biennial Dedalo Minosse Prize was founded in 1997 and is currently in its eighth edition. It recognizes the Client’s figure as fundamental and strategic in the constructive process.

The exhibition of the awarded works, set in CISA, Centro Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio, in Vicenza will be open until September 18, 2011.

High School #9, Los Angeles, California, USA, 2002-2008 © COOP HIMMELB(L)AU/Duccio Malagamba

Red Dot Design Award

Red Dot Design Award for the High School #9 – the prize was assigned during an awards ceremony on July 4, 2011 in Essen, Germany.

The Central Los Angeles Area High School #9 for the Visual and Performing Arts has been awarded the “red dot” seal of quality for high design quality by the jury with its panel of highly respected experts. The design will then be put on public display in the exhibition “Design on stage – winners red dot award: product design 2011″ in the red dot design museum at the world heritage site of the Zeche Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen.

The red dot design award dates back to 1955 and is now said to be the world’s largest and most distinguished design competition. It breaks down into the three disciplines ‘red dot award: product design’, ‘red dot award: communication design’ and ‘red dot award: design concept’.

+ More projects by Coop Himmelb(l)au

The Open Parliament of Albania | Coop Himmelb(l)au

Energy Roof Perugia | Wolf D. Prix – COOP HIMMELB(L)AU

Morris Adjmi Architects announced it has received approval from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission for its design of 837 Washington Street in the Meatpacking District.

Located just east of the High Line and across from the Standard Hotel, the six-story office and retail building at 837 Washington Street will feature a four-story glass and steel addition built atop an existing two-story 1938 Moderne style warehouse. The project is being developed by Taconic Investment Partners and Square Mile Capital.

We are pleased with the Landmarks Preservation Commission's approval of our design for 837 Washington Street, which we believe fits in with the fabric of the neighborhood while also helping forge a new architectural identity for the Meatpacking District.

Morris Adjmi, Founder and Principal of Morris Adjmi Architects

Render courtesy Morris Adjmi Architects

The building will feature a metal and glass window wall set within a twisting framework of dark gray steel beams that rotate slightly around a taller brick core, echoing the way the streets come together in the neighborhood.

The dynamic, twisting shape of the addition is generated by the site’s unique location, marking the position where the angular street grid of the Meatpacking District interlocks with the more regular urban grid of upper Manhattan.

Jess Walker, a Partner at Morris Adjmi Architects

The two-story existing building, while maintaining its historic streetfront presence, serves as a spring point for the new structure, which torques up to continue the momentum generated by the adjacent turn of Washington Street. The addition, while minimally visible from the historic Gansevoort Market Historic District to the east, rises to face the High Line and views of the Hudson River beyond.

The steel frame of the addition also reflects the industrial history of the neighborhood and the High Line, while in counterpoint, the brick core and restored existing building blend with the historic warehouses found throughout the Meatpacking District. Integrated planting beds along the edge of the building's floor slabs help mediate rainwater runoff and provide a link to the creeping perennials and grasses atop the High Line.

Render courtesy Morris Adjmi Architects

+ About

Morris Adjmi Architects | http://www.ma.com/

Morris Adjmi Architects is led by founder and principal Morris Adjmi (AIA), one of today's leading American architects. The New York-based full service architecture firm provides comprehensive design services for corporate, commercial and residential clients including offices, hotels, institutional projects, multi-family residences, private homes and interiors. Morris Adjmi Architects has completed numerous critically acclaimed projects including the 18,000-seat Prudential Center in Newark; ABC Headquarters in Burbank, California; Crest Apartment Tower in Tokyo; the Theory Building, a 50,000-square-foot commercial space in the Meatpacking District; mixed residential development 408 Greenwich Street in Tribeca; New York University's recently opened Wilf Hall; and the U.S. headquarters of Publicis. Current projects include the High Line Building at 450 West 14th Street in the Meatpacking District, and 16 West 21st Street in the Ladies Mile Historic District. Adjmi established Morris Adjmi Architects in 1997, following a successful partnership with renowned Italian architect Aldo Rossi.

Taconic Invest Partners

Since its inception in 1997, Taconic Investment Partners LLC has acquired and developed more than eight million square feet of office properties in New York City. Taconic is co-developer of the new luxury high-rise Caledonia condominium and rental development along the High Line in Manhattan, has renovated two large residential complexes in Brooklyn and the Bronx, and has assembled significant land holdings in Coney Island (Brooklyn) for residential development. The company's office holdings in the Meatpacking District include 111 Eighth Avenue, totaling 3 million square feet; the newly developed 15 Little West 12; and the prime redevelopment at 401 West 14th Street leased by Apple Computer.

Square Mile Capital

Square Mile Capital Management is a private investment firm which focuses on real estate and real estate related opportunities, including both debt and equity investments on behalf of select institutional and private investors. Square Mile takes a value oriented approach to its investment activities, with an emphasis on opportunities to acquire or capitalize assets or enterprises which are undervalued, overlooked, complex or mispriced. Since the establishment of its first fund, Square Mile's funds comprise approximately $1.5 billion in discretionary capital, including its most recent vehicle which closed in February 2009 with $806 million of committed discretionary capital. Square Mile has offices in New York, Los Angeles and Greenwich, Connecticut.

Award-winning London based designer Timothy Schreiber is pleased to announce the launch of a carbon fibre version of his Plooop Chair at 100% Design London, 22-25 September 2011.

Carbon Fibre Version Plooop Chair, image courtesy Timothy Schreiber

With an eye for fusing state of the art technology with hyper contemporary design Timothy has teamed with Fi-tech Ltd, the UK’s leading aerospace and motorsports carbon fibre manufacturers, to produce an ultra sleek version of his Plooop Chair. Just 5mm thick and weighing 2.5 kg the lightness and fine finish of the carbon fibre adds an airy sophistication to the chair’s signature continuous loops.

Timothy’s introduction of the Plooop (Plywood Loop) seating range in 2010 marked a foray into the exciting possibilities of using 21st Century plywood manufacturing techniques. With the launch of the carbon fibre Plooop chair Timothy continues to enliven the furniture world with fresh, stand-out pieces that implement today's cutting edge technologies and industries.

Peter Burns, spokesman of Fi-tech comments,

We are involved in making some of the fastest and lightest cars on the planet and now we are excited to be involved in making one of the lightest and slimmest chairs ever designed.

Carbon Fibre Version Plooop Chair, image courtesy Timothy Schreiber

+ More design of Timothy Schreiber on +MOOD

Trace Table | Timothy Schreiber

E-lastic Table | Timothy Schreiber

US Green Building Council Awards Prestigious LEED® Platinum Certification to LEO A DALY-Designed FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science Building

First Academic Building in Southeast Florida to Achieve LEED® Platinum Certification

The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)® Platinum certification to the recently completed Florida Atlantic University (FAU) College of Engineering and Computer Science Building in Boca Raton, Fla. LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Designed by international architecture, planning, engineering, interior design and program management firm LEO A DALY, FAU’s facility is the first academic building in southeast Florida to achieve this status.

Image courtesy LEO A DALY

With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation. As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, Florida Atlantic University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science building is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement.

Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of U.S. Green Building Council

Image courtesy LEO A DALY

Florida Atlantic University is visionary in its approach to education, science buildings are typically energy-consuming by nature, but both the college and our project team wanted to build a world-class facility that would showcase the university’s commitment to sustainability. Achieving the LEED® Platinum certification validates that commitment.

Robert J. Thomas, LEO A DALY’s principal of science & technology

The new 97,000-square-foot, five-story facility houses the university’s computer science, electrical and computer engineering programs, and consists of electrical instrumentation labs, computer build/circuitry labs, 5G technologies and specialized research labs.

This facility will place the university, college and local community at the national forefront of energy conservation and environmental stewardship efforts and act as a catalyst for building a sustainable infrastructure.

Karl Stevens, Ph.D., P.E., former dean of FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science

Image courtesy LEO A DALY

The project showcases some unique engineering and cutting edge technologies, including:

• Chilled Beam Technology – Chilled beam technology, which has been used in Europe and Australia but has been seldom used in the United States until recently, substantially reduces the energy used by mechanical systems. Using this technology coupled with photovoltaic systems, heat exchangers and other additional strategies reduced the energy usage by almost 35 percent compared to an ASHRAE benchmark building.
• Temperature Control Systems – At FAU, geothermal wells capture heat from groundwater that has a year-round stable temperature of 78 degrees, to reheat the fresh air in the dedicated outside air unit. Additionally, heat exchangers capture heat gain from the data center computer servers and the UPS.
• Lighting Control Systems – The FAU building’s orientation provides day lighting within 90 percent of the buildings occupied rooms, views from 75 percent of the occupied rooms, shading of the building’s exterior to control heat gain and glare, and orientation to the wind.
• Solar Hot Water System captures heat from the sun to supply the hot water in the building.
• Art in Public Spaces – E-waste from FAU’s campuses is incorporated into the facilities’ artwork within the project.
• Educational Signage in the facility teaches visitors about the LEED strategies and systems used within the building.

Other sustainable elements include reducing the water consumption by 40 percent compared to the typical facility through features such as high-efficiency restroom fixtures and occupant sensors; utilizing Florida native and adaptive vegetation to restore natural plant and animal habitat for the new Engineering building premises; diverting more than 80 percent of the construction waste from landfills; and using local materials.

Image courtesy LEO A DALY

In addition to the LEED certification, there are training and educational achievements within the building including state-of-the-art classrooms and labs, as well as a virtualized cloud computing infrastructure, enabling the use of information technology resources on demand.

This is such wonderful news. This 97,000-square-foot building provides an environmentally efficient place for our students, faculty, and staff. So many individuals have contributed to this amazing project, and we are very thankful to all of them. This is the right building at the right place and at the right time.

Mohammad Ilyas, Ph.D., interim dean of FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science

+ About LEO A DALY

Established in 1915, LEO A DALY is an internationally renowned architecture, planning, engineering, interior design and program management firm. The company’s portfolio includes award-winning projects in 75 countries, all 50 states and the District of Columbia. LEO A DALY currently employs approximately 1,000 architects, planners, engineers and interior designers in over 30 offices worldwide. The firm consistently ranks in the top 10 largest architecture, engineering and interior design firms in the U.S., and is listed in BD World Architecture’s top 25 global practices.

http://www.leoadaly.com/

The West Palm Beach office of LEO A DALY was established in 2009. The office focuses on higher education, science and technology, religious and commercial office markets.

Other notable projects by this office include:

• Florida Gulf Coast University College of Arts and Sciences’ Academic 7 Building, Fort Myers, Fla. (Recently achieved LEED® Platinum Certification)
• Scripps Biomedical Research Facility Phase 1 and 2, Jupiter, Fla.
• F.W. Olin Physical Science Building, Melbourne, Fla.
• Palm Beach State College, Humanities and Technology Building, Boca Raton, Fla.
• Palm Beach County Convention Center, West Palm Beach, Fla.

+ About Florida Atlantic University

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. In commemoration of its origin, FAU is celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2011. Today, the University serves more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses and sites. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering & Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

http://www.fau.edu/

+ More LEED projects on +MOOD

Cahill Center for Astrophysics | Morphosis

Cyan/PDX Building | THA Architecture + GBD Architects

Architects and designers SHH have completed a luxurious £3m, 2-storey VIP passenger lounge at Biggin Hill airport, for client Rizon Jet, a Middle East- and UK-based private aviation group. Located within a major new-build 130,000 sq m hangar and VIP terminal facility at the airport, the lounge – comprised of a 478 sq m ground floor space with an additional 186 sq m purpose-built mezzanine floor – was launched at the same time as a similar facility in Doha, State of Qatar (created by Doha-based company Art Line).

Image courtesy SHH | Photo by Andy Spain

With the opening of the new VIP Lounge, Rizon Jet now has a full range of services to offer today’s discerning traveller.

Patrick Enz, Chief Executive of Rizon Jet, commented:

We are very excited to see the start of operations at the beautiful FBO/VIP Lounge, which has been built and completed under the supervision of SHH. The design of the lounge reflects in a modern way the corporate design and heritage of the Qatari company. The opening of the Lounge marks a major milestone for Rizon Jet.

Image courtesy SHH | Photo by Andy Spain

Biggin Hill Background:

Biggin Hill is a historic UK airport, located near Bromley, just south-east of central London, which was originally opened by the British Royal Flying Corps in World War One, when it served to protect by capital against attacks by Zeppelins and Gotha bombers. In World War Two, the airfield played an even greater role in British history as the commanding base for the Battle of Britain, when it was home to spitfires and hurricanes from many different squadrons. The airfield ceased to be an operational RAF station in 1958 and, when the original London Airport at Croydon closed, Biggin Hill began its life cycle as a civilian airport (with some remaining military involvement right up to 1992). As it is legally not permissible for operators to use it for scheduled or holiday charter flights, the airport became a prime location for the private and business market. The Formula 1 motor racing headquarters are also based at Biggin Hill and are the new neighbours of the Rizon Jet facility, whilst the airfield regularly features in movie sets, including the 'Da Vinci Code’.

Image courtesy SHH | Photo by Andy Spain

The Brief:

The two new Rizon Jet Lounges and FBO-VIP Terminals in the UK and Doha began with a similar outline concept’, but SHH were then commissioned in August 2010 to interpret and develop this concept to create a more European feel for the Biggin Hill Lounge, which nonetheless retains many Arabic references in both material choice and functionality, to reflect the Qatari heritage of the company, the linked locations and similar passenger profile at the two terminals. The starting point for our design concept was the Rizon Jet branding and 'star’ marque, which was interpreted and applied in a variety of ways and at different scales throughout the interior.

SHH Project Architect and Associate Guy Matheson

Image courtesy SHH | Photo by Andy Spain

Image courtesy SHH | Photo by Andy Spain

The brief from the client to SHH was to create 'a six star hotel reception’ with a comfortable lounge feel.

It was all about creating a space that people want to spend time in, this was achieved through a simple and calm colour palette; luxurious finishes; a high proportion of bespoke furniture and a strong emphasis on comfort. The main space is a dramatic double height volume, which is split into interesting, zoned lounges with different treatments and with a variety of privacy levels, so that customers can immediately find the right space for their need state, whilst retaining glimpsed views of everything else going on in the facility.

Guy Matheson

Design Walk-through:

Rizon Jet passengers first arrive at the lounge at the west end of the hangar to be met by doormen in top hats and tails and a valet parking service. Entry is directly into the impressive double-height space, with planes instantly visible. If customers wish to fast-track straight to departure, an 'expressway’ path is clearly marked out by a panel of 'Emperador Light’ marble flooring, leading to the departure gate, where normal British customs, security and passport services apply. Huge-scale lighting, in the form of hand-made crystal pendant lights specially made for the scheme in the Czech Republic, also lines the route, set into a sculptural, walnut-veneered, 300mm deep suspended ceiling raft, created in a fretwork pattern based on the Rizon Jet identity, which continues beyond the security wall and up to the runway ribbon, giving customers a sense of the full depth of the space.

Passengers with more time in hand, however, will benefit from the full services the lounge has on offer. The ground floor lounge space instantly communicates an atmosphere of richness and structural drama, firstly through a full-height living wall, with foliage set into colour patterns, to the right of the entrance area (created by ANS Group), set to self-water automatically to ensure a uniform look and easy maintenance and framed by a cold cathode surround.

Image courtesy SHH | Photo by Andy Spain

Image courtesy SHH | Photo by Andy Spain

In front of the living wall, the greeter’s desk front is in a finned sculptural wood pattern in walnut (designed by SHH and made by William Dulcie Ltd), repeated for the full-height feature wall directly ahead between landside and landside, which seems to alter in form as passengers approach. Here, the Rizon Jet concierge greets passengers and seeks to build up relationships with frequent flyers with advance briefing encouraged on customers’ favourite foods, television programmes and so on. Luggage is immediately taken away, so as not to clutter the space, and given back only when passengers wish to begin the embarkation process. The lounge is also almost entirely signage-free to ensure a luxury feel, with passenger direction and the explanation and clarification of services all part, instead, of the facilitator’s role. Material quality is also announced through the marble flooring, in 'Bottocini Fiorito Light’ on either side of the 'Emperador Light’ central runway route (which also used in a darker version for the toilets to the centre right of the ground floor area).

The lighting scheme for the project, created by SHH together with Deltalight, is all about control. We have combined cold cathode lighting in the ceiling rafts with downlighting, along with individual floor and table lamps, so that there is complete inbuilt flexibility and the possibility of very gentle and intimate lighting in the later hours.

Guy Matheson

Image courtesy SHH | Photo by Andy Spain

To the left, a further major feature takes the form of a series of striking, full-height perforated columns in a distressed metal finish (featuring a further application of the star motif from Rizon Jet’s corporate identity and manufactured for the scheme by Seamless Industries), create a near-circle around the first of four zoned ground floor lounges. Within the columns, ultra-comfortable seating in lounge one takes the form of a single circular sofa with pale brown fabric seats and a dark brown fabric back with gold circles on a macasar ebony base, designed by Emlyn Conlon of SHH and manufactured by Lyndon Design. A bespoke wool and silk rug, incorporating the star marque (also designed by Emlyn Conlon of SHH and manufactured by Tai Ping) is in the centre of the lounge, whilst the near-circle formed by the columns is completed by the addition of two armchairs from Bolier in a macasar ebony frame with cotton fabric upholstery in black.

Image courtesy SHH | Photo by Andy Spain

A second semi-circular open lounge lies immediately beyond – the largest on this level – demarcated for contrast by a ribbon flooring border, especially created for the project to an SHH design by Unique Surfaces, using water jet technology. The ceiling above lounge two also has its own ceiling design treatment with rectangular lighting troughs cut into the ceiling. Furniture here uses a domestic vernacular, with flooring in a silk and wool hand-tufted rug (once again a bespoke design by Emlyn Conlon of SHH, manufactured by Tai Ping) and a mix of lounge and sofa seating from Bolier, interspersed with small side tables with a black chrome base and dark brown lacquer top (from Meridiani), along with twisted glass table lamps from Porta Romana and floor lamps from Natuzzi. Television screens are discreetly incorporated into bespoke walnut and distressed mirror units (designed by SHH and created by William Dulcie), with mirror screens to ensure they fit easily within the design when not in use.

All M&E and audio-visual elements have been carefully incorporated with no visible workings, so as not to disturb the clean lines and sleek look of the space. There are no speakers or grilles on view and we have made full use of architectural detailing to ensure these workings are kept from view. In each lounge, for example, bespoke joinery items such as consoles or coffee tables contain Crestron touch panels and concealed wiring in order to control lighting and AV.

Guy Matheson

Beyond the first two lounges, two elegant bespoke display cabinets (designed by Emlyn Conlon of SHH and made by Interior Joinery) feature ultra-high-end goods for sale, including watches and jewellery.

To the right, the ground floor’s third and fourth lounges are again circular in shape, identical in look, although differentiated from the other lounges by sunken banquette seating two steps down (once again bespoke-designed by SHH and made by Lyndon Design, with a dark grey leather seat and back in dark brown fabric with gold circles).

Beyond lounges three and four, the toilet and washroom area is discreetly announced by a wraparound wall with a silk wall covering. Design features here include bespoke console units and a mirror in each area in black, scalloped lacquer from Ecco Trading.

Image courtesy SHH | Photo by Andy Spain

The mezzanine level offers passengers greater levels of privacy, but with the same design ideas throughout so that the spaces stay connected.

We had the Arabic customer demographic particularly in mind on this floor, where the cultural requirement for privacy is greater than in Europe. Here, customers can be served food and drink a little more discreetly or can wait in any of three additional lounges, which also cater for children – or can else use the business centre or prayer room. The entire floor can also be booked out for any single user group in advance.

SHH Senior Designer Emlyn Conlon

Lounges five and six directly overlook the ground floor space, kept semi-visible through a sloping, fabric-laminated glass wall (using an off-white textured and rippled fabric) created by Sekon Glassworks, with the star from the Rizon Jet corporate identity sandblasted onto the glass at huge scale. SHH were careful to vary both the size of the graphic references to the logo with each use and to vary its material application to ensure both variety and scale. Seating in lounges five and six features sofas from The Sofa and Chair Company in dark brown leather with a gold fabric seat and wingback armchairs from Bolier. Side tables are from La Fibule and lamps are by Porta Romana.

At either side of this protruding area, the glass walls above the ground floor feature overlaid fretwork timber panels, finished in cream lacquer, referencing the star marque. The area is carpeted throughout with fabric wall linings in subtle off-white shades and is designed for customers who not only to have both more privacy but also who want to use the facilities for longer periods of time or with children in attendance. Lounges five and six therefore include consoles with concealed Wii and Playstation consoles, whilst lounge seven has a central coffee table with crayons, colouring books, reading books and board games. A blackboard and chalk are also available.

We were instructed not to create designated children’s areas, but instead to build this function into the three mezzanine lounges in a concealed way, so that the prevailing sophisticated feel is retained for either family or non-family use.

Emlyn Conlon

Bespoke units in each room are in macasar ebony veneer with leather inlay, containing and concealing Crestron AV and lighting control panels, designed by SHH and manufactured by Interior Joinery.

Image courtesy SHH | Photo by Andy Spain

The business area includes a full conference room for up to twelve people with video conferencing and tea-point facilities. The conference table is in walnut (from Plan Mobil) and the conference chairs – the 'Aston’ chair – are by Arper. A sandblasted glass sliding wall delineates a separate office space, whilst the front of the combined business area ieatures a curving glass wall (again using the star design in large scale), with grey voiles discreetly giving a feeling of privacy for the two spaces, which can be booked either separately or together.

Toilets and washrooms on this floor are all in marble, whilst the prayer room, which has been fully blessed and which faces Mecca, has been designed with low-level walnut plinths and a dragged Armourcoat wall finish. Opposite the prayer room, a fretwork panelled wall overlooks the lounge, with natural light coming in along the bottom and with mirrored panelling at the top, concealing storage.

+ About

Rizon Jet | http://www.rizonjet.com

Rizon Jet was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Doha, State of Qatar, with additional operating bases strategically located in the Middle East (UAE) and Europe (UK). Rizon Jet focuses on providing a comprehensive suite of private aviation services, ranging from aircraft charter, aircraft maintenance, aircraft management, FBO/VIP Terminal services to aircraft sales, financing and consulting. Its mission is to deliver top quality services which combine traditional Arabic hospitality with world-renowned aviation standards.

Rizon Jet is part of Ghanim Bin Saad Al Sadd & Sons Holdings (GSSG Holdings), headquartered in Doha, State of Qatar.

SHH | | http://www.shh.co.uk/

SHH is an architects’ practice and interior and branding design consultancy, formed in 1992 by its three principals: Chairman David Spence, Managing Director Graham Harris and Creative Director Neil Hogan. With a highly international workforce and portfolio, the company initially made its name in ultra-high-end residential schemes, where it both innovates and dominates, before extending its expertise to include leisure, workspace and retail schemes. SHH has won over 30 Awards for its projects, including Best Eco House (for its 'North London House with Green Credentials’ project) and the 'International Interior Design’ Award (for its Manchester Square office project) in 2010. SHH’s work has appeared in leading design and lifestyle publications all over the world, including VOGUE and ELLE Decoration in the UK, Artravel and AMC in France, Frame in Holland, Monitor in Russia, DHD in Switzerland, ELLE Decoration in India, Habitat in South Africa, Contemporary Home Design in Australia, IDS in Malaysia and Architectural Digest in both France and Russia, with over 125 projects also published in 66 leading book titles worldwide.

Project Architect Guy Matheson

New Zealander Guy Matheson joined SHH in 2004, after arriving in the UK as an experienced Architect in 2003. Most of his work in the practice has been as Project Architect on a large number of high-end, one-off residential projects, where he can indulge his passion for developing designs with strong architectural details, but Guy has also worked on a number of major leisure schemes in the studio, including restaurants The Greenhouse and Umu for client MARC and the stunning new-build Nu Asia scheme in Bahrain.

+ Project credits / data

Full SHH Project Team: Guy Matheson, Emlyn Conlon, Wade Tangney
Photography: Andy Spain

Consultant Team:
Client Representative: Urban Velvet
Main Contractor: Knight Harwood
M&E: ME7
Structural Engineering: Price & Meyers
Cost Control: Lawrence Foote & Partners
Project Facilitator: GVA Second London Wall
Mechanical Contractor: JCA
Electrical Contractor: FES
Lighting Supplier: Deltalight
Audio-Visual: Tillman Domotics
Metalwork: Littlehampton Welding
Stonemason: Unique Surfaces

+ All images courtesy SHH

The design was prompted by the idea of an exibition space forming an integral point of the large Kamberovic Park alongside the River Bosna, in the centre of the town of Zenica. The concept was based on a deterministic approach to history – as a series of causes and consequences, while avoiding falling into a trap of a pathos-ridden and artificial representation of a part of our national history. The architectural space aspires to create an emotional communication with the user. The entry sequence – dissapearing underground as a one-way movement between walls lined with mirrors and then returning to the beginning – at the same point but on a different level, creates a sense of relative space and reveals the time as the content.

Historical Park of Medieval Bosnia, image courtesy FILTER architecture

Historical Park of Medieval Bosnia, image courtesy FILTER architecture

Historical Park of Medieval Bosnia, image courtesy FILTER architecture

Historical Park of Medieval Bosnia, image courtesy FILTER architecture

+ Project credits / data

Historical Park of Medieval Bosnia
Architect: FILTER architecture | http://www.filter.ba/
Location: Zenica, Bosna i Hercegovina
Type: Culture
Status: Competition Project – 1st prize, exhibited, published

Historical Park of Medieval Bosnia - Plan, drawing courtesy FILTER architecture

Historical Park of Medieval Bosnia - Sections, drawing courtesy FILTER architecture

Historical Park of Medieval Bosnia - Diagram, drawing courtesy FILTER architecture

Historical Park of Medieval Bosnia - Diagram, drawing courtesy FILTER architecture

This individual residential house is located in a suburb of Sarajevo. The house was designed in the ambit of an older building on the same site, which was an urbanistic requirement. The program demanded a much greater capacity for the new facility. For this reason, a concept is created for reduction of the horizontal communication into vertical ones and for use of the basement floor for habitation by introducing lighting through denivelled patio. Rooms are becoming platforms that are distributed around the spiral staircase while catching views of the surrounding countryside and high mountains in the background ,through internal and external openings.

Mihi House, image courtesy FILTER architecture

Mihi House, image courtesy FILTER architecture

Mihi House, image courtesy FILTER architecture

Mihi House - Plan & Section, drawing courtesy FILTER architecture

+ Project credits / data

Mihi House
Architect: FILTER architecture | http://www.filter.ba/
Type: Architecture | House
Year: 2010-2011
Location: Sarajevo, Bosna i Hercegovina
Status: Project, exhibited, published

+ About

FILTER is a group of young architects in Sarajevo, who gathered in 2009 after winning first place in the competition for the ‘Historical Park of the Medieval Bosnia’. So far, the group has  been working on various projects of architecture, urbanism and design.

The group is organized nonhierarchically, while insisting on the exchange of opinions. The work on the project seeks to question a given problem, while design is understood as a certain type of research. Thanks to this approach,  the process of harmonization of attitudes becomes FILTER to create quality.

+ All images and drawings courtesy FILTER architecture