Millennials are China’s most affluent demographic. They are young, wealthy and lifestyle-oriented. Yet they also long to experience nature and to live a sophisticated, artistic lifestyle that transports them away from the world of the fast-paced mega city. So the new sales centre for real estate developer CIFI in Chongqing is more than just an elegant sales space for new-build apartments – it is a symbol of customer desires and an important communication tool for CIFI. The iconic building represents a living concept in harmony with nature and with a sense of gracious spaciousness. Which is why the sales centre is more than just a sales machine; it invites interested parties to enjoy a relaxing and informative visit. Once the real estate sales phase is over, the building can be repurposed as a restaurant or club house.
Through the reconstruction and redesign of the aging premises there was a welcoming and functional café and restaurant created. In order to bring more daylight to the inside, the existing arched windows at the west and south facade were expanded to the floor. This way these facades create continuum of the arches on the north side of the building. The arches on the west side facing the street increase visibility between public space and bar, which has an inviting and exhilarant effect on the public life in the village. The generous windows with the basket-awning at the south side expand the restaurant area by a sunny garden, which is now accessible through wooden doors that are integrated in the arches.
The Place, like its name, brands itself as a hotel that creates a unique visitor experienced that embodies the specific identity of each place. This specificity of place is central to Mecanoo’s “People, Place, Purpose” design philosophy, which emphasizes users, a holistic understanding of the social, historical and physical context, and a response to current and future building functions. For each assignment, our goal is to seek out the secret of the location to create a unique design that strengthens the distinct identity of the context.
In keeping with this design philosophy, Mecanoo’s interiors for The Place hotels in other cities all embody a unique sense of place: The Place in Tainan reinterprets the historic city’s rich streetscape; in Yilan, the hotel is located in the National Center for Traditional Arts and draws its inspiration from local craftsmanship. By contrasting old and new, mixing of west and east, the hotel becomes a contemporary interpretation of a traditional art form.
Bold, sexy and playful, Maple & Ash created a new way to celebrate with its innovative steakhouse. Unlike other Chicago steakhouses, Maple & Ash uses hints of traditional elements with contemporary applications. Greens, purples and yellows create a youthful color palette, proving that steakhouses aren’t just for your grandfather. Maple & Ash was inspired by the anatomy of fire.
The Antwerp Tower is a skyscraper in the center of Antwerp, which itself is currently being renovated from an office tower to a building with 241 luxury apartments, based off a design by WAA. The tower is part of a larger renovation of the area directly around its base–the Keyserlei, which is the main pedestrian avenue that leads from Antwerp’s central train station–into the center of the city. The design of the Antwerp Tower entails extending the width of the marquise-diamond-like floorpan, increasing its height to 100 m, and demolishing and repurposing the space directly between the opera house and the tower–to create a four story plinth at the tower’s base, for retail and office, with a roof terrace restaurant atop for overlooking the city below.
Intentionally excessive, the interior of bar vinvinvin (French for winewinewine) pays homage to the joy and vitality of “natural wine”. The project began with a wine tasting. Our clients brought a good bottle of Bordeaux as well as a natural wine from Strekov, Slovakia. After tasting both, they explained that typically wine bars were designed to serve classic wines like the Bordeaux but that they would be serving natural wines and wanted that to be reflected in the design.
Natural wine is made from organically grown hand picked grapes using yeast native to the vineyard, and contains no additives typically found conventional wine. The result is a natural, unpredictable, and bright flavor. This influenced our choice of colors, materials, and the crafting of spaces for sharing and celebration.
A small-sized space has been transformed into a space that is collected, but at the same time airy.
On the ground floor the cocktail bar is the space of movement, suitable for a cocktail or a quick lunch. The quality of the space suggested working on the wall, creating a light stone parietal sculpture, which would brighten the environment and become a focal point.
On the upper level, the room offers a cozy environment, almost a domestic living room: a large bench covered with cushions underlines the central wall, a system of shelves at the height of the tables rebalances the proportions of the frescoed room, large mirrors enlarge the room reflecting the light coming from the large openings, on the floor a woven vinyl floor, gives the impression of a large carpet.
This new cruiser for European tourists is designed to show the beauty of the Mekong River and the country through which it flows. For this reason, we designed the interior of this 56m long and four-deck ship in a modern style, based on the heritage of the Far East architecture.
The selected textures, materials and geometry are characteristic for this area. The entire interior is designed as a frame for nature through which it is cruising – to complement it, instead of drawing attention from the natural beauty of the landscape.
The KPN building at the beginning of Wilhelminapier in Rotterdam was designed by Renzo Piano. It was the talk of the town upon completion in 1999, but by 2016 it had ceased to meet the user’s needs. With Piano’s consent, an extensive redevelopment by V8 was planned to breathe new life into the building. At ground level there is a huge entrance with public functions and business facilities; the tower has been converted from a traditional office building into a flexible and up-to-the-minute workplace. In its new incarnation the building has reconnected with the neighborhood and the city and is set to act as a catalyst of public life on the pier.
The architecture firms of LAN, Abinal & Ropars and Atelier Stéphane Fernandez deliver the new Polaris district in Nantes
This 1.5-hectare lot (3.70658 acres), facing the Loire River and the former site of the Brossette Company’s warehouses, is now home to six new, mixed-use buildings, one of which is a panoramic 18-story tower.
Polaris is the fruit of collaborative design effort with LAN originating the master plan and the main urban principles governing the development. They also were the lead architecture firm working with Abinal et Ropars and Atelier Stéphane Fernandez.
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