A restorative break
Denmark
Hotel<\/p>\n
Three years ago, on the windy Danish west coast the Svinkl\u00f8v Badehotel, built in 1925, suffered a fire so severe that it burned to the ground. Thankfully the handsome oblong structure (Denmark\u2019s longest timber building) has been resurrected by the private foundation responsible for its upkeep. This May it reopened in a form that deeply references the original build but proves more practical for modern needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe discussed the soul and atmosphere of Svinkl\u00f8v a lot after the fire, trying to pin it down,\u201d says Louise Toft-Hansen, who runs the hotel with husband Kenneth. She says the original recovery plan (conceived on the night of the fire) was to build an exact replica, but the idea evolved. \u201cThis is where you come to unwind, to get off the grid,\u201d she says, explaining Svinkl\u00f8v\u2019s fame as Denmark\u2019s best badehotel (a simple, largely open-plan rural beach retreat popularised at the turn of the 20th century). \u201cWe wanted to retain the feeling of remoteness but we also realised that this was an opportunity to make some smaller changes to the old building.\u201d<\/p>\n
In collaboration with Danish architecture firm Praksis, a sensitive rebuild quickly began. Praksis worked with quality Danish carpenters to create an almost identical timber exterior. Small improvements such as extra windows and chimneys give the hotel a more symmetrical appearance. The interior has been meticulously reworked for the 21st century: the majority of the 36 rooms now have private bathrooms.<\/p>\n
The large common areas, historically known as the yellow, red and blue living rooms, have been softened in terms of colour palette and furnishings. Today it\u2019s a homely, calm Scandinavian design affair. Soft textiles from Kvadrat were used for the upholstery and curtains, while a selection of traditional timber dining chairs come in a custom dusty \u201cSvinkl\u00f8v blue\u201d, courtesy of Swedish heritage design brand Stolab. Mette Tony, architect and founding partner of Praksis, says, \u201cWe had to take a step back, to let history speak, but to improve what we could.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speed demons
by Nolan Giles<\/p>\n
Paris is a city where the glitz of grand architecture and the grit of graffiti miraculously marry like nowhere else. This summer, however, an inelegant new arrival is flying in the face of Parisian shabby chic. From the Arc de Triomphe to the quiet rues off Boulevard Saint Germain, electric stand-up scooters are piling up everywhere.<\/p>\n
Some 15,000 of these brightly coloured mobility devices, branded with names such as Lime, Bolt and Flash, have flooded the city. I witnessed the chaos they\u2019re causing in May, the same month that mayor Anne Hidalgo forced the companies behind the scooters (which are unlocked via smartphones and dumped wherever the rider sees fit at the journey\u2019s end) to sign a \u201ccode of good conduct\u201d. While dancing over these devices strewn along the pavement, I saw a sun-blinded tourist pump his accelerator a little too hard and hurtle into oncoming traffic to a chorus of beeps from stressed motorists. Later that day an interviewee (also an out-of-towner) told me he\u2019d taken a tumble over a scooter that had been dumped earlier that morning.<\/p>\n
The conundrum that Paris and many other cities face is that these devices actually have the ability to decrease pollution and congestion, and make city life better. So why aren\u2019t they working? A lack of proper regulation is one problem. Paris is now handling that by slapping large fines on scooter riders who go on pedestrian paths and pushing operators to be more transparent about how their products are being used (and how many will end up in the Seine). But technology and mobility brands should do better. For them, slowing down a notch would give them a much better view of how a good city actually works.<\/p>\n
Studio profile
Leipzig
Felix Monza<\/p>\n
Industrial designer Felix G\u00f6tze admits he is a product of his environment. He grew up in a village of 80 people in western Germany, surrounded by \u201csheep, cows, geese, pigs and roosters\u201d. He\u2019s since seen the world, spending time at Graft in California before opening the Felix Monza studio (Monza was a nickname for the way he drove) in an old water tower in Berlin. But after five years in the capital, G\u00f6tze always knew he was due a homecoming, and three years ago he found a special space in a former wallpaper factory close to his parents in Leipzig.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m bound to this area, to my family and to the company that my father built, because he had a lot of wood and metal workshops,\u201d he says. \u201cHe would collect old cars and motorcycles and we would restore everything vintage from the 1970s and 1980s, including furniture.\u201d This aesthetic is evident in his studio, where Wilkhahn office chairs and a Karlsson flip-clock share space with a worn calfskin rug and antique photographic lights.<\/p>\n
G\u00f6tze can trace the manufacturing of his products to within a two-hour drive of his studio. \u201cThere is a lot of traditional craftsmanship in the area. I visit companies to see what they are able to build and my projects are inspired by their techniques,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s always a mix of handmade with the help of machine. I like that combination of human and machine capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Notable projects:<\/p>\n
1.
Moto Rocker
The embodiment of G\u00f6tze\u2019s design style, this kids\u2019 rocking bike is detailed, sleek and a whole lot of fun.<\/p>\n
2.
Rawr bed
It\u2019s industrial and slightly institutional, and G\u00f6tze chooses each piece of larch, walnut or oak himself.<\/p>\n
3.
Hyperqube light
This modular, sculptural glass lighting system is adaptable and, like all G\u00f6tze\u2019s products, designed to withstand the test of time.<\/p>\n
Modernist marvel
Z\u00fcrich
Le Corbusier<\/p>\n
Pavillon Le Corbusier, the Swiss-French modernist master\u2019s last building, has reopened after a meticulous two-year renovation. Initially inaugurated in 1967, the colourfully painted four-storey Lake Z\u00fcrich villa was designed to be Le Corbusier\u2019s \u201cperfect exhibition venue\u201d, showcasing his diverse body of work as furniture designer, sculptor and artist. It has been returned to its initial splendour, and today\u2019s visitors can lounge on cognac leather LC2 chairs.<\/p>\n
Q&A<\/p>\n
Kate Cullity
Landscape architect
Adelaide<\/p>\n
Since Kate Cullity and her late husband founded Australian landscape architecture practice tcl in 1990, it\u2019s been challenging the status quo of urban outdoor design. Perth\u2019s new Scarborough Foreshore Redevelopment has been one of its most successful projects. The site previously featured a vast carpark that encroached on the beach and stifled the public\u2019s interaction with it. Today the beachfront features an almost 1.6km-long stretch of playful linear park, which blends beautifully into the landscape.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your number-one tip for creating a playful design?
We\u2019ve always been interested in collaborating, not just in our sphere but with people who will be able to assist us with creating something larger than the sum of its parts. Artists, designers, environmental scientists and engineers all help form the cornerstone of our practice.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s one great design piece of the Scarborough Foreshore Redevelopment?
It was the simple element of creating a grassy mound for people to watch sunsets from.<\/p>\n
Why was this so effective?
We don\u2019t like to clutter a space with a whole lot of objects \u2013 it\u2019s important to have large, open flexible spaces.<\/p>\n
How do you approach each new project?
We start very broad and we enjoy research, observation and starting a dialogue. Like a funnel, we just collect all of this information and focus it, distil it and think about how the raw materials can be used to create play.<\/p>\n
How do you find Australia\u2019s high levels of regulation?
It\u2019d be wonderful if we only had to work to the safety limitations in Europe. But we\u2019ve found we can work within the constructs of legality and regulations in Australia and still create fun and vitality. One of the really regulated elements is water. We just collaborate with water specialists who can assist us to navigate through the restrictions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A restorative breakDenmarkHotel Three years ago, on the windy Danish west coast the Svinkl\u00f8v Badehotel, built in 1925,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":131406,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2],"tags":[63903,63904,63833,27,26,51034,24194,63905,63906,51035,63907,2779],"class_list":["post-131405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-denmark","tag-architectural-restoration","tag-australian-architecture","tag-danish-architecture","tag-danmark","tag-denmark","tag-hotel-design","tag-landscape-architecture","tag-le-corbusier","tag-pavilion-restoration","tag-scandinavian-design","tag-timber-construction","tag-urban-planning"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/116938864361930671","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131405"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131405\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}