Design Miami/Basel

Jean Prouvé, Kengo Kuma, Ron Arad, Kiki van Eijk, Hiroshi Sugimoto are just some of the names at the 11th Design Miami/Basel, that opens with a rich programming.

46 leading galleries from around the world are gathered in Basel to show exceptional modern and contemporary furniture and objets d’art. Throughout the fair, Design Miami/Basel presents a packed program of talks, events and special exhibitions that celebrate design in all its diverse applications, including booths showcasing Swarovski’s Designers of the Future, and the celebrated Design at Large display.

Top: Friedman Benda, New York, Design Miami/Basel 2016. Above: Zaha Hadid exhibition

Berlin-based architecture practice Kuehn Malvezzi has teamed up with the Finnish design company Artek and Danish textile manufacturer Kvadrat to produce a formally distinctive Collector’s Lounge, while works by Zaha Hadid – that have been a strong presence at the fair over the past decade – will be presented in a special presentation by Zaha Hadid Architects, showcasing her innovative work in the field.

Ron Arad, Armadillo Tea Pavilion, presented by Revolution Precrafted Properties, Design Miami/Basel 2016

For the first time, Design Miami will play host to a specialist in prestige vintage car design and it will also see the return of the Design Curio program, showcasing forgotten curiosities, groundbreaking ideas and new areas of investigation at design’s cutting edge. Moreover, this year’s Swarovski Designers of the Future Award is presented to a group of emerging new talents who were tasked with the challenge of designing for the future in a holistic, adaptable and personal way.

Formafantasma, Delta, Guistini–Stagetti Galleria O., Roma, in collaboration with Fonderia Artistica Battaglia, Milan. Design Miami/Basel 2016

Highlights of the 2016 Design Talks program include Andreas Ruby discussing breaking the boundaries of how architecture is viewed and experienced beyond the walls of a traditional museum and the Talks program will be ‘silent’, conveyed through wireless headphones to immerse audiences fully in the conversation. 

Prefabulous: How to set up home in the most remote places on Earth

by Katy Scott, CNN

 

If you’re looking to hole up in the middle of nowhere, there’s a hut in a box for that.

Back in the days of gloom post World War Two, prefab homes — structures prefabricated in sections in a factory and then assembled on site — were built en masse as temporary solutions for those who had been “bombed out”.

Just over 70 years later, prefab houses are still considered affordable alternatives to building homes from scratch.

Prefab pioneer Jean Prouvé designed his “demountable house” in the 1940s as a potential solution for the housing crisis in France. These inexpensive homes were rapidly built from steel and wood, assembled by hand, and supported by a two-legged load-bearing structure.

Today prefabricated buildings are used as temporary relief for those who have lost their homes to natural disasters, refugees, as well as a quick fix for housing crises.

But prefab is increasingly becoming an attractive option for constructing everything from cabins in the wilderness to high-end designer homes for city slickers.

One Canadian company has even gone as far as creating DIY cabins which come straight out of the box, complete with step-by-step instructions on how to assemble them.

Hut-in-a-box

This Cabin is made from 3D printed bio-plastic
Credit: Courtesy Ossip van Duivenbode/DUS Architects

Backcountry Hut Company grew from a need for recreational refuge points for outdoorsy folk in remote locations.

Avid backcountry adventurer, Wilson Edgar, dreamt up the idea of customizable huts that could be easily pieced together on-site by a group of people.

“When someone takes a house project today they basically give up control as soon as they start the project,” Edgar tells CNN. “This is putting that control back in their hands.”

Edgar teamed up with Principal Architect of Leckie Studio Architecture + Design, Michael Leckie, to tackle the design.

The huts come in two distinct styles — backcountry and frontcountry — each with multiple configurations.

The base model is a studio loft measuring 191 square feet, with a kitchen and living area on the ground level and sleeping quarters for two to four people on the top floor.

However, modules can be combined and the hut can be extended to fit up to 30 people.

Backcountry Hut Company scalability
Courtesy: Leckie Studio Architecture + Design

“One of the values in the system is that it is scalable and mass customizable,” explains Leckie, referring to various interior fitout options and exterior finishes.

This, according to Leckie, is one of the key differences between their huts and other “more rigid” cabins. Another is the ease with which it can be assembled.

“The building components are designed to such a size that they can be lifted by two people and put into place similar to almost like lego blocks,” says Leckie.

This is not to say the “kit of parts” can be slung over your shoulder like a sack of tent poles. In fact, the pre-module shell, timber frame skeleton, window system, doors, cladding, and interior fitouts arrive in a 40-foot shipping container and need to be lifted by helicopter to locations inaccessible by roads.

While the hut’s structural components cost $150 dollars a square foot, the interior fitouts can add a significant amount, depending on the client’s taste.

A rendering of a backcountry hut
Courtesy: Leckie Studio Architecture + Design

Is prefab the answer?

Prefab homes are often considered to cut the spiralling costs of building a home, as well as the time it takes to build.

“For the average person building a custom home there are so many unknowns, and I think that a lot of people really struggle with the perceived lack of control through the process,” says Leckie.

“What we have here is a product that comes ultimately delivered, it’s a fixed-price solution.”

However, architect Charlie Lazor of Lazor Office — a design firm that specializes in the design and prefabrication of dwellings — is of the opinion that prefab isn’t always the answer.

“There is a perception that prefab will solve the problem of the cost of a home,” Lazor tells CNN.

“There are benefits to be had, and more benefits if the stars align, but it’s not a silver bullet, and it’s not going to solve a budget deficit.”

In 2005 the Minneapolis-based architect first introduced his panelized FlatPak house — a pre-fabricated, configurable house system.

Having designed and built many modular, FlatPak and stick built homes over the years, Lazor explains that there are multiple ways to do prefabrication. It all depends on the circumstances.

“For very remote work, the modular method is better as labour doesn’t exist, or has to come from very far away. So you have to get as much as you possibly can get done off site, and send it as complete as possible.”

One of the biggest challenges Lazor faces, however, is misconceived ideas about the benefits of prefabrication.

“The time advantage can be there but I wouldn’t say it’s a significant enough reason why someone should do a prefabricated house,” he says.

A prefab-ulous future

Revolution Precrafted’s “Sails” by Christian Portzamparc Credit: Courtesy Duccio/Revolution Precrafted

“As the market for prefabricated structures grow, so does the market for high-end precrafted work,” Robbie Antonio, CEO of Revolution Precrafted, tells CNN.

Revolution Precrafted commissions “starchitects” such as Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, Philip Johnson, Ron Arad, Marcel Wanders, and Christian de Portzamparc, to design luxury prefab homes, pavilions, and even furniture.

“Prefabrication no longer means cookie-cutter construction, or one-size fits all design,” says Antonio. “It is moving towards a space where traditional construction methods give way to high-precision, and high-quality architecture.”

Top Collector Robbie Antonio’s Family Has Substantial Business Ties to Donald Trump

by Eileen Kinsella, artnet News

As the businessman prepares to step into the role of president, a lengthy New York Times story on November 26 takes aim at US president-elect Donald Trump’s financial ties and potential conflicts worldwide.

The story opens with a discussion of Jose E.B. Antonio, a Philippine developer who is the father of Robbie Antonio, one of artnet New’s top collectors to watch and a fixture on the art circuit; Robbie is seen frequently at high-profile events including art fairs and major auctions, including Sotheby’s recent Impressionist and modern art evening sale earlier this month.

According to the Times report, E.B. Antonio, who was “quietly named a special envoy to the United States by the Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte,” is building a $150 million tower in Manila’s financial district. His business partner is none other than Trump.

Announcement of Trump Tower Manila. Courtesy of Flickr Commons.

Following the election, E.B. Antonio flew to New York for a private meeting at Trump Tower with the Trump children, who have been involved with the Manila project from the beginning, along with Antonio’s children. Robbie confirmed to the Times that the Trumps and Antonios have other projects in the works, including Trump-branded resorts in the Philippines.

Robbie gave an interview to the Times in which he assured that there was no reason to doubt his father’s priorities. “It is for the good of the country now,” he said.

Beyond real estate, the 39-year-old entrepreneur has also developed a taste for expensive art. According to a page on Century Properties, he displays a number of blue-chip artworks in his $15 million Manila house that was designed by Rem Koolhaas’ firm OMA. In a 2013 profile in Vanity Fair, he commissioned “a series of portraits of himself by some of the world’s top contemporary artists,” such as “Julian Schnabel, Marilyn Minter, David Salle, Zhang Huan, members of the Bruce High Quality Foundation, and Takashi Murakami.”

Now, Robbie is developing designer-driven luxury homes for international clients. “I want the homes to be perceived as art pieces,” he told Forbes at Frieze Art Fair earlier this year. His first big sale was in March, via a Zaha Hadid-designed dining pavilion that sold for €1.3 million ($1.37 million).

Top Collector Robbie Antonio’s Family Has Substantial Business Ties to Donald Trump

by Art World

They are partners on a $150 million tower in Manila.

As the businessman prepares to step into the role of president, a lengthy New York Times story on November 26 takes aim at US president-elect Donald Trump’s financial ties and potential conflicts worldwide.

The story opens with a discussion of Jose E.B. Antonio, a Philippine developer who is the father of Robbie Antonio, one of artnet New’s top collectors to watch and a fixture on the art circuit; Robbie is seen frequently at high-profile events including art fairs and major auctions, including Sotheby’s recent Impressionist and modern art evening sale earlier this month.

According to the Times report, E.B. Antonio, who was “quietly named a special envoy to the United States by the Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte,” is building a $150 million tower in Manila’s financial district. His business partner is none other than Trump.

Following the election, E.B. Antonio flew to New York for a private meeting at Trump Tower with the Trump children, who have been involved with the Manila project from the beginning, along with Antonio’s children. Robbie confirmed to the Times that the Trumps and Antonios have other projects in the works, including Trump-branded resorts in the Philippines.

Robbie gave an interview to the Times in which he assured that there was no reason to doubt his father’s priorities. “It is for the good of the country now,” he said.

Beyond real estate, the 39-year-old entrepreneur has also developed a taste for expensive art. According to a page on Century Properties, he displays a number of blue-chip artworks in his $15 million Manila house that was designed by Rem Koolhaas’ firm OMA. In a 2013 profile in Vanity Fair, he commissioned “a series of portraits of himself by some of the world’s top contemporary artists,” such as “Julian Schnabel, Marilyn Minter, David Salle, Zhang Huan, members of the Bruce High Quality Foundation, and Takashi Murakami.”

Now, Robbie is developing designer-driven luxury homes for international clients. “I want the homes to be perceived as art pieces,” he told Forbes at Frieze Art Fair earlier this year. His first big sale was in March, via a Zaha Hadid-designed dining pavilion that sold for €1.3 million ($1.37 million).

Shares in Century Properties rally after Trump’s US presidential win

by CHRISEE DELA PAZ, Rappler

The local property developer bucks regional bloodbath on Wednesday, November 9, with analysts believing the surge is because of Trump’s presidential victory

MANILA, Philippines – Century Properties Group Incorporated surged on the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) on Wednesday, November 9, after its business partner Donald Trump won the United States presidential election.

Shares in the property company, which holds the license to develop Trump Tower in Manila, settled at 72 centavos after gaining 12 centavos or 20% in Wednesday’s trading.

Century Properties bucked the regional bloodbath, with analysts believing the surge was because of Trump’s presidential victory.

This developed as the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) plunged to 2.58% or 188.76 points to close at 7,119.04, and property shares slid by 3.47% or 112.43 points to 3,131.34. (READ: From Paris Hilton to Donald Trump, Century Properties’ celebrity ties)

“This is more of a psychological buy. As you know, they are the local partner of Trump Organization for Trump Tower Manila,” Harry Liu, chief of brokerage firm Summit Securities Incorporated, said in a phone interview.

COL Financial head of research April Lee Tan echoed Liu’s remarks. She said Trump’s victory could be the reason for the surge in Century Properties’ shares, amid a regional bloodbath.

Donald Trump Jr, the US president-elect’s son, visited the country in 2014 to help Century Properties break ground on the $150-million Trump TowerTM Manila, a 56-storey residential building in the sprawling business district of Makati City.

“I’ve always loved the Philippines. I think it’s just a special place, and Manila is one of Asia’s most spectacular cities. I know that this project will be second to none,” Donald Trump, chairman and president of the Trump Organization, was quoted in the official website of Trump Tower Philippines as saying.

Robbie Antonio, the head of the company’s business development, was introduced to Ivanka Trump, who had him meet her father, who then agreed to license his trade and family name to Century.

As of May 2016, Century Properties said masonry activities for Trump Tower were in “full swing up to the topmost floor (57th level) while plumbing and electrical roughing-in have reached the 40th floor.” It is set to be opened within the year.

CEO named as special envoy to the US

Other than the Trump victory, Liu said investors could be thinking that “Jose Antonio being the new special envoy to the US will be beneficial for the company.”

President Rodrigo Duterte last October 28 named Century Properties chairman and CEO Antonio as special envoy to the US.

“His mission is to enhance business ties and strengthen the economic affairs between the two countries,” Century Properties told the local bourse in a disclosure.

Antonio also served as the country’s special envoy for trade and economics to China in 2005.

The chief of Century Properties graduated cum laude from San Beda College in Manila in 1966 and from Harvard University’s Owner/President Management Program in 2003. – Rappler.com

The man of substance

by Robbie Antonio, Philippine Daily Inquirer

The younger Antonio with his father, former Ambassador Jose E.B. Antonio, who also serves as chairman of Century Properties.

I have been referred to as “Asia’s youngest real estate tycoon” and by Forbes Asia as the “liaison to the stars” as we, at Century Properties, have brought global fashion houses, Hollywood A-listers, prominent architects, and the most iconic real estate brands to the Philippines for exclusive luxury projects that are now changing Manila’s skyline.

It was in 2011 when I headed Century Properties’ International Brand Collaborations, and started to conceptualize, negotiate, source, and launch projects in Manila with lifestyle game-changers. These included the Trump Organization for Trump Tower at Century City; Paris Hilton for the Paris Beach Club at Azure Urban Resort Residences; and The Milano Residences in partnership with Versace and in collaboration with MissoniHome. We’ve also had collaborations with Yoo, the interior design company founded by John Hitchcox; and Philippe Starck, one of the most celebrated and revered living designers today. Our latest project is Century Spire, a residential office tower whose architecture is by Daniel Libeskind, with amenity interiors designed by Armani/Casa.

Over the years, I have learned that passion for innovation and excellence should always go hand in hand with market understanding and experience. We have to learn from the lessons of history, and innovate towards the aspirations of our target market. We may have come up with products that one would normally consider tough to sell but we’ve also successfully tapped into the aspiration of many Filipinos—which is to have a higher quality of life.

Apart from catering to the needs of the market, it would also be crucial to offer the best value among the products in your own category. Adding value to a real estate property will attract the very discerning property market. The market will always respond positively to lifestyle innovations that make sense. For a few more dollars, one can own property that is above par not only in terms of money value but also quality of life.

I have also learned that timing is everything. You have to know when to introduce specific products to specific markets. Developers who have experienced more than four economic cycles like ours will develop the sense of launching the right product to the right market at the right time.

Donald Trump Jr., executive vice president for Trump Organization, with Robbie Antonio of Century Properties. NELSON MATAWARAN

Cloud-like: Prefab house by Studio Fuksas

by Nina Shell, DETAIL Business Information

 

‘Matilda’ – this is the name that the architect and designer duo Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas (Studio Fuksas) have given the house they have developed for Wallpaper as part of the “Revolution” project. Like all the dwellings in the series, the Matilda Home is based on pre-fabricated elements and is thus quick and easy to erect.

As the designers state, “The idea to bring design also in common life attracted us. This is a new concept of habitat of house. It’s a mobile home it can be everywhere around the world; everybody can be a client. It’s a modular unit so many of them can be added together like a cloud. It can even be a city .This is not an object, it is a concept; it can be a city, a landscape or simply a home. Easy to build, it can be done in different materials more or less expensive. ‘Matilda’ is a completely different space since nowadays we don’t need so much storage space, you just need to have a screen. The only important thing is to have a nice place to eat, to seat and to sleep.” And naturally a piece of property on which to locate your own personal part of the cloud.
Further houses in the limited edition can be seen here

Step change: architect Jean Nouvel on reinvigorating his design studio

by Amy Serafin, Wallpaper*

Jean Nouvel at the glass and steel Fondation Cartier Pour L’Art Contemporain, which he completed in 1994
(Image credit: Hannah Starkey )

Back in 1987, the same year architect Jean Nouvel gained international acclaim for his Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, he also presented six aluminium objects at an exhibition held by the French non-profit VIA (Valorisation de l’Innovation dans l’Ameublement), to a much smaller audience. They included an adjustable table on X-shaped legs, an aluminium-and-rubber folding screen, and a very slick toolbox.

These were Nouvel’s first efforts at design – none of which was ever manufactured. But since then the French Pritzker Prize-winner has produced more than 100 pieces of furniture and design, from lamps to doorknobs, while turning out major architectural projects such as Barcelona’s Torre Agbar, the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, One Central Park in Sydney, the upcoming Louvre Abu Dhabi and New York’s 53W53 tower. In 1995, he founded Jean Nouvel Design (JND) as a sister company to his architecture firm, Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

And yet it is no simple feat to go out and buy a Jean Nouvel dining room set. ‘Most of my objects remain confidential,’ he says. ‘Nobody really knows my jewellery, for example. And we’ve worked on chairs few people have seen.’ That’s about to change, as Nouvel sets out to make his furniture more accessible to the general public – and, at the same time, is unveiling the first museum exhibition ever devoted to his design.

Installation view of Jean Nouvel’s ‘Amber Lamp’, for Martell, at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
(Image credit: Luc Boegly)

Last year, at a celebration for his 70th birthday, the architect confided to his friend Franck Argentin that he wanted to give his design studio a boost. Argentin is the founder of RBC, a network of contemporary furniture showrooms in the south of France. The two first met about 25 years ago at a bullfight; twice a year, Nouvel stays at Argentin’s house in Nîmes during the corridas.

Argentin shared some ideas about how JND might move into higher gear. Then Nouvel asked him to head up the design studio, knowing he could bring his keen eye for what sells, as well as his high-level contacts with furniture manufacturers such as Vitra, Poliform and Cassina. ‘I’m looking to work with producers that are serious and significant,’ Nouvel says, ‘and Franck is in a position to talk with them frequently.’

Argentin accepted, taking up the new position in January of this year (he continues to run RBC). ‘It wasn’t my plan, but the challenge excited me,’ he says, sipping espresso from a polished stainless steel cup Nouvel designed for Alessi. 

The first part of Argentin’s strategy was to create greater synergy between the design and architecture firms. As he explains, ‘Neither side really knew what the other was doing anymore, even though they all work for the same person.’ He moved the JND studio, located in a building next to the architecture studio in Paris’ 11th arrondissement, from the third floor to the ground floor – a simple but effective change. ‘Jean used to drop in to our offices maybe three times a month. Now, when he’s in France, he stops by four times a week.’

Closer collaboration means that JND can piggyback more easily on Nouvel’s architectural commissions. For each new building project, Argentin meets the project leader, to explore how JND can contribute to the interiors and furnishings. ‘That in turn seduces furniture manufacturers,’ he explains. ‘If we know we can already sell 2,000 chairs, it’s more appealing than saying, “We’d like you to produce this, but we don’t know if it will sell.”’

For example, JND suggested designing the kitchen, bathroom and closets for the sales centre of Monad Terrace, a luxury condominium complex that Nouvel is working on in Key Biscayne, Florida. ‘The client is extremely flattered,’ says Argentin, ‘because he has a kitchen designed by Jean expressly for his project, not necessarily more expensive than the one he planned to buy, and afterwards it will be produced around the world.’ The studio completed the designs in time for Nouvel and Argentin to present them at the Salone del Mobile last April, including cabinet panels made of a patented aluminium honeycomb under glass. Nouvel was particularly enthusiastic about his first bathtub. ‘I designed it in marble and wood to be luxurious and rare, but not flashy,’ he says. 

Describing himself as an architect who does design, rather than a designer, Nouvel approaches both fields the same way, using context and function as the starting point and avoiding any recognisable style. His designs are clean and precise – they canlook deceptively simple. He strives for what he calls ‘elementarity’, or a solution that seems obvious once it has been found.

‘When I talk about elementarity – or the essence of a table, a storage system, an office – it’s about how furniture can transform the way we work,’ he says. ‘My “Cases” system is a game of construction that defines the geometry of an office, whether you work facing someone, or with separations between people, or at big common tables. Furniture can provoke evolutions in our attitudes about life.’

Working at common tables in an office furnished with ‘Cases’, the JND team tackles everything from furniture to industrial design to interiors. It has designed braided vinyl flooring for the Swedish company Bolon, as well as a rug made of a single, exceptional sheet of marble for the Italian producer Citco. Its interior design work ranges from a private house in the vineyards of Bordeaux to a chain of new Cacharel clothing boutiques throughout France. And it does scenography, too, such as 62 black shipping containers of different heights for exhibiting replicas of the Lascaux cave drawings in Gwangmyeong, South Korea.

Often, Nouvel will revisit a piece of furniture and improve it over the years – his team refers to these as his ‘obsessions’. It is currently reworking his perforated leather ‘Skin’ sofa from 2008, as well as his 1991 cube-shaped ‘Elémentaires’ armchair, both for Molteni & C. If you visit the JND agency, you’ll come upon more of these obsessions, such as the ‘Oxymore’ chair that he has been tinkering with for more than a decade (now produced by Figueras), with rigid lines but a soft back that reclines. A sleek, cherry-red ‘LessLess’ table is a descendant of one that he designed in 1994 for the Fondation Cartier in Paris. 

Against a back wall sits a striking 5m-long wooden ‘Table au Km’, which Nouvel designed as part of a series of limited-edition pieces for the  gallery and Galerie Patrick Seguin in 2011. ‘I’m a specialist in tables,’ the architect says. ‘I find them inspiring. I don’t know if there’s a psychological reason – maybe because of their stability. And there’s an idea of mass and transformability. I like tables you can unfold, extend, stack on top of each other. I see geometric games and combinations.’

Geometric combinations are also the basis for a brand new prefabricated house Nouvel designed for Revolution Precrafted, a venture by the Filipino developer Robbie Antonio. In a nod to Jean Prouvé’s demountable houses, Nouvel designed 6m x 6m modules, each divided by sliding doors into quadrants, so the space can be structured in different ways. The units can exist on their own or linked together, and small blocks containing a kitchen, a bathroom or a closet can be attached to the exterior. The walls are insulated sandwich panels, aluminium outside and wood on the interior. Each house is transportable and easy to install in a matter of days. 

The prefab house is being displayed in the Jardin des Tuileries in October, as part of the FIAC contemporary art fair outdoor exhibitions programme in collaboration with the Louvre. Just steps away, the first museum exhibition dedicated to Nouvel’s design will take place at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, from 27 October to 12 February. Titled ‘Jean Nouvel, mes meubles d’architecte’, the show is an overview of Nouvel’s most important pieces going back 30 years, including those original objects for VIA. Certain items will be shown to the public for the very first time, such as seating for the public areas in the soon-to-open Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Nouvel’s latest exhibition in Paris traces his most important works (pictured, ’Miroir’ B, 2014) from the past 30 years, pitching them against the ornate objects from the Musée des Arts Décoratifs’ permanent collection.
(Image credit: Luc Boegly)

‘It was high time’ for such an exhibition, says the museum’s director, Olivier Gabet, who got to know Nouvel while overseeing the Louvre Abu Dhabi project. ‘He’s one of the great architects of our time.’ Gabet recalls walking through the Musée des Arts Décoratifs with Nouvel and being struck by the architect’s passion for the Middle Ages and Renaissance collections. They decided to go beyond the temporary spaces and install the Nouvel exhibition throughout the entire museum, all 2,000 sq m, including the permanent collections and the Advertising and Graphic Design museum that Nouvel himself designed in 1998. 

The show is divided into two general themes. An overview of Nouvel’s various design philosophies, from elementarity to transformable furniture, occupies the temporary spaces. The second part, in the permanent galleries, is a dialogue between the museum’s historic collection and Nouvel’s work, such as the limited-edition ‘Triptyques’ mirrors he created for the Gagosian gallery and Galerie Patrick Seguin.

The mirrors, of various sizes, measure up to 2.3m in height and extend as wide as 3.7m when unfolded. Their glass is slightly blurry and softly coloured, giving a new perspective to age-old sculptures and furniture from the collection. ‘They exist to reveal the space around them, reflecting objects in another geometry, another light,’ the architect says.

Hearing him talk, it’s clear that Nouvel is eager to finally put his body of design on public display, and in such a prestigious setting. ‘To show one’s own objects alongside masterpieces from earlier centuries, you need courage, some pretentiousness,’ – he pauses for a moment – ‘and a bit of humility, too.’

As originally featured in the November 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*212)

JND’s managing director Franck Argentin (left) and art director Ernesto Mistretta at the Molteni & C factory outside Milan, where the studio’s ‘LessLess’ table is produced.
(Image credit: Alberto Zanetti)
Nouvel’s furniture is the subject of a new exhibition recently opened at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The designer has also created modular exhibition spaces especially for the show.
(Image credit: Luc Boegly)
(Image credit: TBC)
His works create a dialogue with the museum, its history and its collections
(Image credit: TBC)
On the occasion of his first solo furniture show, we take a look back at Nouvel’s greatest hits, from home to workplace. Pictured, ’LessLess’ table, for Molteni & C, 1994
(Image credit: TBC)
’Skin’ sofa, for Molteni & C, 2008
(Image credit: TBC)
’Miroir D’, part of the Triptyques series, for Gagosian and Galerie Patrick Seguin, 2014
(Image credit: TBC)
’Cases’ office system, for Unifor, 2013
(Image credit: TBC)

INFORMATION

‘Jean Nouvel, mes meubles d’architecte. Sens et essence’ is on view until 12 February 2017. For more information, visit Jean Nouvel’s website and Les Arts Décoratifs website

ADDRESS

Musée des Arts décoratifs
107, rue de Rivoli
75001 Paris

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Jean Nouvel Presents His Modular Shelter For Revolution Precrafted

by France Architecture News

Jean Nouvel is one of the designers who develops modular mobile homes for Revolution Precrafted-Nouvel has unveiled his modular shelter, produced as part of a limited edition series for Revolution PrecraftedNamed Simple, this house is designed and packaged off-site, delivered in a standard shipping container and easily assembled on-site for the fair.

The architects first presented his design in front of the Louvre in Paris on October 18 – 28. The, Nouvel’s collectible home was showcased during the Foire internationale d’art contemporain (FIAC) in Paris. 

https://vimeo.com/187759976
video by Revolution Precrafted

The structure is comprised of lightweight aluminum exterior panels, a layer of thermally-efficient insulating foam and wooden interior lining. The design is customizable in size and layout, allowing for end-users to define the space to their liking with sliding interior windows and partitions. Collectors can also choose from a variety of interior finishes.

”Housing is the purpose of architecture. What we propose here is the most immediate way to inhabit a space, within a short timeframe, in places that are not designed for residential use today and that become so, spontaneously. All of the essential notions relating to housing must be condensed into a single object that can be built very quickly and inhabited by one, two, three or four people within the same volume,” said Jean Nouvel.

Revolution presents art and design enthusiasts with a new way of collecting and experiencing art. These designer pavilions, envisioned by leading architects, artists and design luminaries, are collectible structures that aim to democratize high-design by making them accessible to a broader audience. 

An exclusive curation of pre-crafted pavilions is made available thru a sophisticated e-commerce platform, making it possible for anyone to own editioned pieces in a click of a button. 

Revolution Precrafted Pavilions are collectible structures with a wide array of functions that will complement a home or an existing space. They are unique space additions that can be anything from a living room, pool, reading area, or a multitude of other functions that are meant to inspire, excite, motivate, and contribute to one’s health and wellbeing.

The project unites over 30 of the world’s preeminent architects, artists and designers to create an exclusive series of prefab, liveable spaces including Zaha Hadid&Patrik Schumacher, Kengo Kuma, Massimiliano&Doriana Fuksas, Ben Van Berkel, Sou Fujimoto, Fernando Romero and many more.

Massimiliano And Doriana Fuksas Design A Polygonal Mobile House For Revolution Precrafted

by Italy Architecture News, WA Contents

The Matilda Home, a special mobile living unit that can be placed in everywhere designed by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, founder and principals of Studio Fuksas, for Revolution Precrafted house series. Fuksas’ design can be conceived as a smallest living unit in the world, consisting of three-storey with a maximum comfort. 

The Matilda Home is a polygonal structure that can also be reproducible by adding new modules, to be adaptable for every region. The design is comprised of two typical units -one of them consists of 2 bedrooms, kitchen, living room, closet and roof deck, occupying 201 square meters area in total. The materials used for the house are teak wood, marble and steel. 

https://player.vimeo.com/video/169660874

”The idea to bring design also in common life attracted us,” says Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas. ”This is a new concept of habitat of house. It’s a mobile home it can be everywhere around the world; everybody can be a client. It’s a modular unit so many of them can be added together like a cloud. It can even be a city.”

”This is not an object, it is a concept, it can be a city, a landscape or simply an home. Easy to build, it can be done in different materials more or less expensive. Matilda is a completely different space since nowadays we don’t need so much storage space, you just need to have a screen. The only thing is important is to have a nice place to eat, to seat and to sleep but also this can be done with something you close when you don’t need.”

”We tried to develop a new formula of the house because also we don’t know who is dedicated and the people who will be living in the house. First of all, it is a house but also a piece of art, sculpture and it is easy to build and can be done with different materials,” says Doriana Fuksas.

The 1-Bedroom and 2-Bedroom units’ dimensions are comprised of 18.72 meters L x 10.80 meters W x 11.70 meters H, while their total areas changing with 155 square meters and 201 square meters.

Revolution is a collection of limited edition, pre-crafted properties, including homes and pavilions, introduced by design & real estate developer Robbie Antonio. The project unites over 30 of the world’s preeminent architects, artists and designers to create an exclusive series of prefabricated, livable spaces. 

With a network of cutting-edge technologies and cost-efficient production systems, Revolution is democratizing high-design and architecture by introducing designed spaces in exclusive collaboration with industry leading creatives.

All images © Studio Fuksas