Tag: design

• And we’re back

  Welcome to 2019.

  I am currently in transit and catching up on some internet reading and email on my way back to Toronto.

  At this time of year it is, of course, common to reminisce (or lament) about what happened over the last year, as well prognosticate what may come.

  Over the last few years, I have done a bit of that on the blog. But I clearly didn’t do that this year while in Brazil (and away from any semblance of a workspace).

  So here’s what others have been writing and thinking about over the holidays:

  – 2018’s tech trends and tribulations in 14 charts. Recode. Link

  – 2018 was the year of the YIMBY. CityLab. Link

  – A cool girl’s guide to Toronto. Vogue. Link

  – Amazon’s annual Christmas press release. Link

  – Best travel posts of 2018. Design Milk. Link

  – Here’s (Almost) Everything Wall Street Expects in 2019. Bloomberg. Link

  – Here’s what to expect in cybersecurity in 2019. TechCrunch. Link

  – Naive to hope Toronto can change in 2019? That means we have work to do. Shawn Micallef. Link 

  – The 10 largest US venture rounds of 2019. TechCrunch. Link

  – What is going to happen in 2019. Fred Wilson. Link

  – Will a recession hit in 2019? Alan Murray. Link

  – Year in search 2018. Google. Link

  2019.01.02

• A door and a street — walking Copacabana

  Rio de Janeiro has some pretty spectacular entranceways. Here is one that I found today on Rua Duvivier in Copacabana:

  

  It is a magical front door located exactly one block from the beach.

  The other gem I stumbled upon today was Rua Carvalho de Mendonça, pictured here:

  

  Toward the left (above) is a narrow bollard-separated lane for cars. The rest of the right of way is dedicated to pedestrians and bicycles.

  When I was there today the sun was shining and the retail was in full swing.

  

  But perhaps my favorite thing about this street is the residential terraces sitting on top of the single storey “retail podiums.”

  They add life (and eyes) to the street.

  2018.12.29

• The new studio geography

  If any of you have gone to architecture school (or know someone who went to architecture school), you’ll know that everything revolves around something called studio. Studio – that’s really all you need to say – is worth many multiples of your other classes and consumes an even greater multiple of your time. What time will you be in studio? How’s studio going? I was in studio really late last night. This is how the conversations go.

  So I was intrigued by Seth Godin’s post this morning comparing “working in a studio” to working in a factory. The latter, he says, relies on compliance: “More compliance leads to more profits. Do what you’re told, faster and cheaper, repeat.” And this was very much the narrative of the 20th century and was the model that empowered small-town America to thrive (see yesterday’s post).

  However, the studio is different. Here is how Godin defines it:

  The studio, on the other hand, is about initiative. Creativity, sure, but mostly the initiative to make a new thing, a better thing, a process that leads to better.

  It’s peer to peer. The hierarchy is mostly gone, because the tasks can be outsourced. So all that’s left is leadership.

  Initiative plus responsibility. Authority is far less important, as are the traditional measures of productivity.

  It is not difficult to tell the two apart, which is how Godin ends his post. But it is worth noting that the studio model also thrives in a different kind of geography, compared to the factory model. So not only is the studio itself a different place, it also wants to situate itself in a different kind of place. So in a way, what we are seeing today is the new studio geography.

  2018.12.15

• One Delisle unanimously supported at Design Review Panel

  

  One Delisle was at the City of Toronto’s Design Review Panel today where it received unanimous support. For those of you who may not be familiar with the process, at the end of every DRP session the panel members – who are all independent design professionals – vote on the project. They can support it, support it with conditions, or they can not support it and send it back for a redesign. One Delisle received 100% support.

  There were a number of positive comments around the need for more projects like this, and for better design in general, here in Toronto. That was really nice to hear. I also liked the comment that One Delisle feels like a tall building that one might find in London. And since every tall building in London has an endearing nickname – Gherkin, Walkie-Talkie, Cheese Grater, and so on – this too deserves one. 

  So let’s find a name. I have one in mind, but I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.

  2018.12.13

• Multi-storey retail

  I was at the St. Lawrence Market over the weekend and I saw a poster up for the original Yonge Street Arcade building, which was located at Yonge Street and Temperance Street here in Toronto. Initially constructed in 1884, the building was ultimately demolished in 1952 and replaced with today’s building by 1960.

  Here is a photo of the original arcade dated 1885:

  

  The Yonge Street Arcade has been fairly well documented online (check out here and here). But what interested me when I saw the poster was the building’s retail characteristics.

  Modeled after the glass-roofed malls being constructed in Europe at the time – the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II opened in Milan in 1867 – the Yonge Street Arcade is said to be Canada’s first enclosed shopping mall.

  The galleria was 267 feet in depth and 3 storeys high (pictured above). The ground floor contained 32 retail units, each 12 feet wide by 29 feet deep. 24 of the units were in the galleria and the other 8 faced outward toward each street frontage.

  On the 2nd floor were 20 more units. Some sources say they were intended to be offices, while others say they were retail units. The above photo makes me think they were retail. The 3rd floor then had offices and maybe some artist studios.

  Either way, the mix of uses is interesting (and maybe a first for Toronto). And if you know anything about retail, you’ll know how difficult it can be to successfully pull it off across multiple levels. The Yonge Street Arcade shows that we’ve been (possibly) trying it for well over a hundred years in this city.

  2018.12.02

• Project Profile: Hotel Emiliano, Rio de Janeiro

  

  This is not exactly a new project. The hotel, pictured above, opened in 2016 and was the brand’s second location (their first opened in São Paulo in 2001). But I like the story and how it was executed.

  Hotel Emiliano is the work of husband and wife team Gustavo Filgueiras and Andrea Colli Filgueiras. He is a hotelier. And she is a jewelry designer. Both wanted to pay homage to the glory days of Rio’s Copacabana Beach.

  Designed by Arthus Casas and Chad Oppenheim – who, by the way, recently built himself a stunning home in the Bahamas – the 90-room hotel is clad in white shutters that can be used to modulate the Brazilian sun. 

  

  On the roof is an infinity pool with a glazed side. Here is a screen grab from the hotel’s website:

  

  And here is an aerial view of the pool taken from Dezeen:

  

  The uniforms for the hotel were designed by Barbara Casasola and a custom jewelry collection was created by Andrea Colli. 

  

  For more photos, check out Dezeen and Wallpaper.

  Architectural photography: Fernando Guerra

  2018.11.25

• Rendering of block 8

  I really like what has been put forward for Block 8 in the newly developing West Don Lands neighborhood of Toronto. Here is a rendering looking east from the Distillery District toward the proposed westernmost tower:

  

  It feels like an extension of the Distillery District, which was clearly the intent. The materiality also reminds me of Junction House. Red brick at the base to fit within its context, and a more modern material palette on the upper floors. 

  I also like how, in this instance, the building steps out on its south side, as opposed to in. It’s something different. Not every building has to look like a wedding cake, right?

  The architecture is by COBE Architects and architectsAlliance. The developers are Dream, Kilmer Group, and Tricon. And the plan is for 756 rental apartments, of which 225 will be affordable and integrated throughout the 3 towers. 

  For more information, check out Urban Toronto.

  2018.11.24

• Leica Store Kyoto

  Yesterday I sent out this tweet about the, relatively new, Apple store in Kyoto. 

  It is the first in the city and I like what they did with the facade of the building. It is decidedly modern and yet there are hints of a local vernacular.

  Photographer Jonathan Castellino responded and suggested that I check out the new(ish) Leica store, which is also in Kyoto. 

  So here is that store (if you can’t see the video below, click here):

  [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouckkaj3XVc&w=560&h=315]

  I shoot on the Fujifilm X-T3, but Leica certainly makes some exquisite (and expensive) cameras. The Leica Store Kyoto does not deviate from that recipe.

  2018.11.10

• Forever

  About a month ago, I said on the blog that we had partnered with two local artists for our Junction House project. The first was Leeay Aikawa and the second was a surprise. 

  Well the second one is no longer a surprise. It is Ben Johnston and he started work on his mural this evening. Here is a photo (courtesy of Shanique Small – thank you!):

  

  It should be completed this week if you’d like to stop by 2720 Dundas Street West. I am planning to be there this Saturday to take some photos and generally just hang out in the Junction. 

  Stay tuned for more surprises. 

  2018.11.08

• BREAKFAST unveils Brixel Mirror

  BREAKFAST, a design and engineering studio out of Brooklyn, recently unveiled something that they call Brixels. 

  A Brixel is a variable-sized brick that is controlled by software and can act as a pixel in artwork, building facades, and other kinds of installations. 

  Below is a video of their first installation, called Brixel Mirror. It is a 19 foot wide by 6 foot tall installation compromised of 540 Brixels. If you can’t see it below, click here.

  [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-5cVpWhp30&w=560&h=315]

  While extremely cool, you may be wondering how applicable this might be to real world uses. But kinetic architecture isn’t a foreign concept and I am sure we’ll be seeing more of it.

  2018.11.04