Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your design ideas and win cash prizes!
Design Capital 21 is an interior design competition for a new integrated mall. The integrated mall intends to adopt as its conceptual design this theme: the world’s famous capital cities from the five continents. Each floor must be representative of the continent by bringing to life the characteristics and identities of its capital cities.
Select one or both floors below for submission!
Design the upper ground floor with major American cities (some major cities are: New York, Washington DC, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Dallas, Memphis, Havana, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Ottawa, Vancouver and Boston)
Design the first floor with major European cities (some major cities are: London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Lisbon, Berlin, St. Petersburg, Athens, Moscow, Vienna and Lucerne).
Design Capital 21 interior design competition is not just a competition; it is an indicator of quality in interior design and architecture. The competition is recognised worldwide and takes the attention of design-oriented companies, professionals and interest groups. Winning Design Capital 21 competition is a recognition of excellence for architects and interior designers, an important milestone.
Not only will this competition encourage and stretch your creativity and new design techniques, you will also stand to win a total of US$50,000 (for all 5 floors) in cash prizes. The jury panel consists of internationally renowned experts from all over the world.
Looking forward to your design ideas!
Download the information related to this competition here.
LEAF International, now in its 16th year, connects architects, contractors, developers, engineers and designers with suppliers of the latest developments in design and technology. Each year, the conference culminates in its annual LEAF awards.
Santiago Calatrava, recipient of LEAF International's 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award. Image via LEAF International
Architecture firm GRAFT has won first place in the competition to design the new Rose Square in Tbisili, Georgia.
Located in front of the Radisson Blu Hotel, which GRAFT renovated in 2009, the site will be transformed into a leisure area with various seating options, and a parking lot underneath.
Through a folded surface, “the new Rose Square will connect the different levels and areas and lead visitors to the underground center through a calm, elegant landscape” that seems to float above the ground.
“Sunken gardens” of sorts, as well as retail and restaurant space and an amphitheater will occupy the Square. Water mirrors and fountains will refresh visitors in the summer and can be converted into areas for ice skating in the winter. An underground pedestrian path will connect the hotel with the nearby Boulevard Rustaveli.
From the architect. An enlightened public client committed to a contemporary program: senior or family housing, social diversity in rural area to happen within a vacant farmhouse which he owns. The three outer façades of the end block are covered with fiber cement slate: local taste. The fourth inner façade, formed by pulling back the volume on the upper floors, is clad with aluminum when not glazed. It now faces south, solving the problem of the old farm being deep and dark.
This lighting device defines the quality of the upper dwellings. It establishes a unique that does not interfere with the everyday/banal character of the village.
Have you ever considered what the Giardini—the garden of national pavilions activated during the Venice Art and Architecture Biennales—is like during the winter months when the park is “off-season?” RAAAF, a Dutch multidisciplinary studio based in Amsterdam, have proposed alongside Architect Marcel Moonen a way to reclaim this “valuable public space,” which sits at the heart of an often overcrowded city.
According to the designers, “it is not to make the boardings more visually attractive, nor to attract masses of people. It is not about solving practical problems but about exploring the potential meaning of the Giardini.” The project, which is funded by the Dutch Mondriaan Funds for Visual Arts and The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, seeks to transform its atmosphere and recover a contemplative space for the city. “The metamorphosis,” they suggest, “reflects an abstraction away from the architecture and extroversion of the national pavilions which are defined by annual statements.”
“Within the busy city of Venice ‘Giardini in Silence’ embraces the transition from an artistic and architectural event space to a place of absence. The intervention creates a contemplative atmosphere on the scale of the Giardini as a whole. En passant it offers a solution for practical issues such as vandalism and the many leaking pavilions in wintertime. The surfaces, made of reinforced textile, reflect the characteristic moody climate of the lagoon in late fall, winter, and early spring.”
From the architect. The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, just 100m2 and with room for up to 40 people, is built as an extension of the existing church and connected to it through its northern facade. It has been conceived as a space to promote meditation, prayer and thus peace inside those gathered there.
The square plan receives light “from above” bathing three of its four sides and with minimal openings to the outside to avoid distraction. This space, including its roof made of wooden slats, opens onto the fourth side where the sanctuary is located and to the bottom of the tabernacle as the central point of the chapel, topped off by a free volume formed by a quarter vault with double height.
The new building, designed in concrete, is integrated into the existing building by contrast, but following the relationship in height, color and texture of some of the characteristic elements, such as the great stone plinth, windows and lattices. Thus, the smooth concrete alternates with the cane texture finish dyed in a beige color present in the stone plynth.
Plan
The horizontal sequence of the parish complex is topped with the double height vault of the new chapel, which in turn is related by analogy and naturally with the curved shape of the end of the public sidewalk.
From the architect. The House is situated in one of Pretoria’s oldest Golf Estates, which has already been extensively developed. Our client was particularly open-minded in buying one of the last open plots in the estate, an extremely rocky piece of ground not many would see opportunity in.
Courtesy of Earthworld Architects & Interiors
The site is defined by two rocky outcrops, generously dotted with indigenous flora, posing serious challenges in situating the building without damaging the environment or incurring serious costs in erecting a conventional structure.
Courtesy of Earthworld Architects & Interiors
From the onset the client’s brief was clear, we were to provide for 4 bedrooms (en-suite), a study, an open plan living area, dining room, kitchen as well as the given ancillary functions. The twist was the structure was to be predominantly concrete.
Courtesy of Earthworld Architects & Interiors
From inception it was clear that the natural environment found on the site should be disturbed as little as possible, only using the two rocky outcrops as the footings for the structure. A palette of Steel, Glass & Concrete was chosen, attempting to keep the materials as true to their rawest forms as possible. The building spans between the outcrops, positioned carefully between a collection of prominent Appelblaar & Karee Trees. The importance of this natural context is amplified through its close proximity as one moves through the house.
Plan 0
Maintaining the concept of touching the earth lightly, there are only two access points into the house, 2 sets of stairs that seemingly float above the natural ground level.
Courtesy of Earthworld Architects & Interiors
The Residence is also equipped with a Solar Hot Water System, as well as integrated Intelligent Controls, circulating Solar Heated Water through the structure, reducing the house’s need for Municipal electricity. Similarly, Double glazing was employed throughout, reducing the need for active cooling & heating.
Section
In conclusion, the design marries the romance of South Africa’s Highveld Landscape with the contemporary concrete & glass designed house, creating an interesting contrast & relationship between the amenities of contemporary living while reducing the impact thereof.
From the architect. Major transformation project gives Lucent industrial site a new lease of life.
Studioninedots’ design transforms an existing 1970s office building on the Lucent site in Hilversum into the new headquarters of de Alliantie, a Dutch housing corporation. The most eye-catching intervention involves the removal of large areas of infill floors and walls from the sturdy concrete structure. This creates a spectacular four-storey-high void, the light and lively new heart of the building that connects the different departments.
In this way the concept of connection was integral to the design. The new headquarters functions to consolidate de Alliantie’s regional offices, and facilitate new interactions between both colleagues and visitors through collective functions, which are centred around the atrium. These functions include the lobby, restaurant, library and kitchenettes on each floor.
Spatially, the dynamic character of the atrium is accentuated by crisscrossing steel staircases, cantilevered balconies, walkways and vistas, but most of all through the void that zigzags within the concrete frame. This dynamism is also expressed on the facade: large glazed surfaces within the structural concrete framework cut out a Tetris-like form from the anthracite-coloured facade, which lends the building its prominent new identity.
Floor Plan
Internally it’s immediately clear that the removal of floors and walls has literally resulted in more space and daylight, which now floods the 22-metre-deep floor plates of the once dark building.
The structural framework in the atrium is infilled with perforated wooden panels and steel frames. Besides their acoustic function, the walls also incorporate various functions such as the kitchenettes, library, storage and displays.
Diagram
The former Lucent industrial site in Hilversum is currently being transformed into a mixed-use residential/commercial district. The last companies vacated the site in the 1980s, and two of the five office buildings were retained. Being in good condition, these two buildings could be renovated to easily gain a new life. In addition to designing de Alliantie’s headquarters, Studioninedots is also repurposing the second building into an apartment complex, due for completion at the end of 2016.
The owners are all Buddhists looking forward to having a place of peace, tranquility and completely free from the hustle city.This is not simply a house, it is a monastery…
A place where there os no limit in work, where you can either travel or stand in one place and other remaining angles are transparently as a continuous open space designed. Where everyone will see each other gleamingly, listen to each other, call each other, and think of other, etc.
A natural and rustic material palette of unrefined brick, bare wood, unpainted cemboard, and ferrous iron, etc. Everything is definitely in the way it is, staying with its nature.
From the architect. A Boundless Space of Joy and Delectable Delights
For young married couples with kids, the downtown cafes and bistros they used to frequent often become no-go zones. But for this pair, who were just beginning to experience the travails of parenthood, the desire for a habitat where their children’s laughter and their beloved yuppie lifestyle may coexist was still strong. Lucas and Kelly’s house in Kaohsiung exemplifies the perfect balance between child-rearing and romantic intimacy.
Lucas and Kelly are both passionate about cooking; the couple met while travelling overseas. Now, married with two adorable daughters, they decided to settle down in Kaohsiung. The kids are still pre-school age, which was why at the initial stages of design conception, the couple requested an open kitchen so they could have a full view of the kids’ living room activities while making meals in the kitchen. The living room, which serves as their children’s designated play space, is furnished with lazybones style sofas and furniture items with reduced heights such as low, round coffee tables to give the overall vision more of permeability. Wooden grid paneling on the ceiling serve as simple, harmoniously detailed spatial partition. When the children grow older, the space below the partition will provide them with a library- like reading space. The windows that frame and reflect the everyday lifestyle of this happy family are also a main feature of this extended spatial design. Each time a family member steps into the home, their line of sight will automatically rest upon the pleasing landscape afforded by the large, expansive window. The comfortable built-in window seat means that Lucas can lounge a little while enjoying a view of the city, rain or shine, while Kelly may also tuck into the cozy space with her computer and enjoy a leisurely afternoon of writing and home-brewed coffee.
Building a Blissful Home Through Cooking and Dining
The kitchen and dining rooms are undoubtedly the heart and soul of the entire household. Both being passionate cooks, the couple often prepares family meals side by side. Based on their personalities, we employed a subtle, modern contemporary style in our design of the kitchen island and back wall, paving them with black mosaic tiles to color-coordinate with the grey ceilings of fair-faced concrete coating, all of which exude a sense of wintry coolness. Tall sky-blue wood grain cabinets were inserted to match the concrete surface Scandinavian chandelier and imbue the space with a little warmth. The extended wooden table is reminiscent of a stretch of canvas that quietly complements the vibrant colors of each delectable dish. Both kitchen and dining are structured with a variety of materials in gradations of blue that create a strong sense of spatial dynamic. For instance, the kitchen door that leads to the balcony is made out of a perforated board from which S-shaped hooks can be hung to accommodate kitchenware display. The perforation serves as both ventilation and storage, a design that is at the same time practical and aesthetically pleasing.
To help the children cultivate their creativity, we create secret hide-outs across the home so the kids could engage in creative projects in freedom. These include the Lego painting in the foyer, which encourages the children to try their hand at collage and enhances their sensitivity toward color. In the living room we also set up a wall of blackboard, on which we drew cute cartoon characters that attract their attention and inspire them to draw and doodle. The children’s room, instead of the usual pink chosen by most parents to satisfy their young daughters, features doors and cabinets painted in vibrant, neutral colors of blue, green and yellow, shades that work perfectly with the muted grey of the concrete walls. The space is fun, colorful and at the same time calming and serene. Inside the wardrobe are specially-shaped drawers and shelves that give the space interesting visual effects. These designs not only satisfy all the storage needs at different phases of the children’s lives, but also give them the opportunity to express themselves via the arrangements of their personal belongings. As they grow older, this tiny castle will also transform into a space that fully reflects the styles and personalities of its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Lucas and Kelly, as we can fully imagine, will still be in the kitchen late at night, busy putting together a feast of wine and favorite snacks, one of the most beautiful sights of a perfect family home.
Sig Nordal 