"Coordinate" is a collection of assemblable furniture. "Coordinate"; because, in order this designs be assembled all parts must be moved simultaneously and coordinated. Once assembled, the whole structure is very stable and can not be destroyed by moving just one or part of its elements. The inspiration comes from the interlocking burr puzzles where no fixtures are needed. Tools are also useless, only a little bit of imagination and dexterity is required. This involves certain interactivity and stimulates some intelligence from the user. I find this very important in a time when user friendly "plug & play" products prevail, sometimes bringing more intellectual devolition then evolution.

image courtesy Praktrik

image courtesy Praktrik

VST, VBT, VT1, VT2 – stool/ table/ bench system

VST …….. are assemblable puzzle furniture pieces. They consist of 5 interlocked plywood pieces that are equal both sides. All of them stay together without the need of any fixtures.

They are made of beech plywood. This material is typical for the region and produced locally. The production process is very simple involving just a regular 2D CNC router. The finish is plant oil; for, it is harmless and natural. Dissasembled, the system occupies little space and can be easily moved from one place to another. The names are formal representations of their structure – “V” is actually the roman digit 5 – the total number of elements and “S, T and B” come from “stool”, “table” and “bench”.

image courtesy Praktrik

VIC, VIIC, VIB and VIIB – double sided puzzle seating furniture

VIIC ……. are assemblable puzzle seating furniture pieces. They consist of 6 or 7 interlocked plywood pieces that are equal both sides. All of them stay together without the need of any fixtures.

image courtesy Praktrik

The back of these "charleston" like furniture designs is elastic, providing space for movement and also interaction in case of two seaters. They are made of beech plywood. This material is typical for the region and produced locally. The production process is very simple involving just a regular 2D CNC router. The finish is plant oil; for, it is harmless and natural. Dissasembled, the furniture occupies little space and can be easily moved from one place to another. The names are formal representations of their structure – “VI and VII” are actually the roman digits 6 and 7 – the total number of elements and “C” and “B” come from “chair” and “bench”.

+ Designer: Petar Zaharinov of Praktrik | http://www.praktrik.com

+ All images courtesy Praktrik

The creation of an emergent element is an opportunity to rethink the relationship between the new neighborhood of Le Trapèze and the Grand Paris area.

This punctuation highlights the metropolitan character of the site by creating a landmark which can be viewed from afar. Because of its status, size and the culture, Le Trapèze is a unique area within Paris. The site is emblematic of the changes that have transformed our industrial cities, of paradigm shifts that have enabled the implementation of a highly complex urban strategy, taking into account the needs of a postmodern society.

Proposal 1, render courtesy ECDM architectes

Therefore, the verticality of the building must express an area where the urban landscape frames a careful balance between mineral and vegetable, between planes and voids imbued with the complexity of a dense and attractive area.

Our proposals were designed as individual elements in an urban mixed composite, where residential, commercial and green spaces combine to form a whole.

In our projects, there is a firm horizontal component which proposes a frame, defining the boundaries of the park, the Seine and its emergences, punctuations designed in resonance with other high points on the bend in the river, such as the Horizons tower or the buildings to come on the Seguin Island.

Proposal 1, render courtesy ECDM architectes

As the valley of the Seine crosses Paris, it is punctuated by towers. One thinks of La Defense, the Front de Seine, the Eiffel Tower, the neighborhood surrounding Gare de Lyon, as well as many other architectural interventions dispersed along the river's fluvial geography and landscape favoring emergent typologies.

In the site next to the river, it seemed essential that the collusion between emergent elements came together to break away from the general pattern of the neighborhood. Both projects are designed in relation to a specific horizon line, referencing both the context of the district and the grand landscape.

We thought of our projects as entities in resonance with existing architectural points: the Horizons tower, the top of the Pont de Sèvres and the towers to come on the Ile Seguin. These three entities form a triangle, with which our project intersects as an extremity.

Therefore, the project is about offering a new center of gravity and a principle of volumetric gradation which establish a link with the buildings erected along the wharf and complicity with the bow of the Ile Seguin.

Guided by this, we moved the density of our project to the north-west side of the plot to establish a link with the buildings along the shore, and so as not to generate visual competition with the Ile Seguin. The bow of the Ile Seguin has a geographic potency which leaves no room for what would be a de facto substitute.

The shape of the plot, a rounded triangle, does not constitute a bow, any analogy to boats and skippers would be fortuitous, besides, a trapeze has no bow. Therefore our projects are designed to frame views and perspectives by creating a dividing line at the junction of the park and the wharf.

Program requirements have led us to develop two projects of different types, structured by two distinct approaches to provide privacy and ensure the safety of persons and property. Refuting any formal preoccupations, we have chosen to develop two projects, two designs structured by two regulatory height constraint possibilities.

Proposal 2, render courtesy ECDM architectes

Proposal 2, render courtesy ECDM architectes

Proposal 2, render courtesy ECDM architectes

Proposal 2, render courtesy ECDM architectes

Proposal 2, render courtesy ECDM architectes

+ Project facts

Program: offices building IGH (tall building) and office building
Client: Nexity
Architect: ECDM architectes
Project manager: Jeremy Bernier et Kikyun Kim
Location: Boulogne-Billancourt (92)
Superficie: 60 000m² SHON
Cost: 150 M € HT
Competition: 2011

What is Hipster?

Hipster is a subculture of a man or woman in his/her 20′s or 30′s that thrives off of indie-rock, vintage furnishings, ironic/off-beat/untraditional art, skinny jeans, and liberal politics.

If you are hipster or want to be a hipster, how would you decorate your living spaces? There are some what you would call “hipster standards”, these items used to identify you as a hipster, try to obtain them and have them be displayed in a highly visible location in your apartment.

So without further ado, here are quick “6 must-haves” for your apartment:

1. Record Player w/ Record Collection

• Beatles
• 70s rock
• 80s rock/new wave
• 90s rap/hip hop
• Indie rock
• Punk
• Jazz
• Funk/Soul
• Obscure artists/records (like Johnny Thunders, Roky Erickson, or George Burns Sings)

2. Indie Rock/Old School Band Show Poster

• Black Sabbath
• Alice Cooper
• The Pixies
• John Coltrane
• New York Dolls
• Pavement

3. Vintage Furnishings

4. Bookcase Filled with “Classics”

• Naked Lunch (William Burroughs)
• On the Road (Jack Kerouac)
• Slaughter House 5 (Kurt Vonnegut)
• Me Talk Pretty One Day (David Sedaris)
• Women (Charles Bukowski)
• The Rum Diaries (Hunter S. Thompson)

5. Electric Guitar w/ Small Amplifier

Just have it in the corner of your living space even if you don't know how to play the guitar.

6. Taxidermy

• Deer head
• Wild Boar head
• Ram head
• Goat head
• Armadillo
• Any stuffed bird

But not overdo it, as it will turn from “hipster haven” to “weird guy's home”.

+ Visit Avalon for more information and start decorating.