Bits and Pieces-II: Ceramics in International Architecture and Design

The following snippets are mostly taken from larger articles illustrating the use of ceramics in international architecture and design. Enjoy! and Happy Holidays.

Tile Mile in London

(Tile Mile by Russ + Henshaw for Turkishceramics. Part of Clerkenwell Design Week in May 2014. Photographs courtesy of the designers.)

"London-based designers Russ + Henshaw collaborated with Turkishceramics manufacturers to bring a tile installation to St. John’s Gate in London. Tile Mile was part of Clerkenwell Design Week in May 2014. The designers said they were inspired by the use of ceramics in Turkish and Islamic architecture and wanted to create infinitely-repeating, mathematical patterns. They laid tile on the floor of the 500-year-old gate and installed parallel mirrors on the walls, to create an infinite space. The floor was designed to represent a mirror image of the gate’s vaulted ceiling." (http://www.cfileonline.org/architecture-russ-henshaw-tile-mile/?mc_cid=bc3c7de58c&mc_eid=ce20ac39ad)

The New Avondale Heights Library in Australia

(Photos courtesy of H2O Architects)

"H20 architects of Melbourne, Australia used colorful tiles for the Avondale Heights Library and Learning Centre, an aesthetic choice done in consultation with an ethnically diverse community and which also references psychedelic artwork. The project was to refurbish an existing gymnasium and to make that building’s exterior have a visual relationship to the new community centre. The architects state on their web site that they wanted to make the building easily-identifiable. They state it reflects local cultural aspirations. [...It was] reported recently that this design choice was done in consultation with community residents, many of whom are Middle Eastern. The architects state the design was also partly-inspired by the artwork of Melbourne artist Howard Arkley, who is known for his psychedelic depictions of suburbs in Australia." (http://www.cfileonline.org/architecture-avondale-heights-library-h2o-architects/?mc_cid=bc3c7de58c&mc_eid=ce20ac39ad)

Brick and Tile Stripes Levitate Melbourne School

The Dallas Brooks Community Primary School, Melbourne, Australia. (Photos: http://www.cfileonline.org/architecture-mcbride-charles-ryan-brick-tile-stripes-levitate-melbourne-school/?mc_cid=e646b98d4b&mc_eid=ce20ac39ad)

In 2013 Victoria-based architecture firm McBride Charles Ryan completed...a building in Melbourne which comprises a new primary school, community facilities and a park. ...The school includes several small learning “communities” which are linked through outdoor courtyards. ...The architects told Dezeen recently that the school is located in the economically-depressed Broadmeadows, which has a large immigrant population from places such as Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon and Sudan. The school’s look is meant to mirror the feel of walled cities around the world. The horizontal stripes adorning the building’s facade create the impression of a building lifting off the ground." (http://www.cfileonline.org/architecture-mcbride-charles-ryan-brick-tile-stripes-levitate-melbourne-school/?mc_cid=e646b98d4b&mc_eid=ce20ac39ad)

mohammad domiri documents the intricacy of iranian architecture

"the labyrinth motifs ubiquitous throughout middle eastern culture are often incredibly complex and intricate in their composition and detail. places of religious worship are adorned with kaleidoscopic colors and rich ornamentation within their interior walls and onto the ceilings, establishing a space that hypnotizes those inside.

Nasir al-Mulk Mosque panorama in Shiraz, Iran. (See more at: http://www.designboom.com/art/mohammad-domiri-intricacy-iranian-mosques-architecture-08-06-2014/; image © mohammad domiri)

"northern iranian student mohammad reza domiri ganji has photographed these sacred structures in a series of panoramic photographs, revealing the depths of these vast architectural expanses in a single shot." (http://www.designboom.com/art/mohammad-domiri-intricacy-iranian-mosques-architecture-08-06-2014/)

Chatsworth House Beyond Limits

"The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire has opened the garden gates again for the 9th annual ‘Beyond Limits’, which has successfully maintained its status as one of the premier Modern and Contemporary sculpture exhibitions in the UK, bringing together a fascinating collection of monumental sculptures from both international and local artists, and providing the opportunity for emerging talent to be displayed." (see more at: http://www.veniceclayartists.com/garden-sculptures-chatsworth/)

Monumental sculpture by Alice Aycock – ‘Hoop La’ -- 2014

Triana Ceramics Museum in Seville

(Photos from CFile: https://cfileonline.org/architecture-santa-ana-pottery-factory-af6-arquitectos/?mc_cid=29ac5faa86&mc_eid=ce20ac39ad)

"The AF6 Arquitectos firm in 2010 completed a renovation on the Triana Ceramic Museum on Calle Triana located in Sevilla, Spain. The designers told ArchDaily that the project was to develop an old pottery complex, along with its ceramics exhibition area, a tourist center and areas for different commercial and production spaces. ...The ground floor of the building was designed to be a continuous walk through the various pottery kilns."  (https://cfileonline.org/architecture-santa-ana-pottery-factory-af6-arquitectos/?mc_cid=29ac5faa86&mc_eid=ce20ac39ad)

Bits and Pieces: Architecture and Design

This month I'm posting snippets of articles about architecture, architectural ceramics and design from organizations whose newsletters I receive. Enjoy!

A New Architectural Construction in Tile

(Photo: http://www.cfileonline.org/architecture-white-stone-aa-house-oab/?mc_cid=7d9d2659c4&mc_eid=ce20ac39ad)

OAB (Office of Architecture in Barcelona) clad this home in Spain in white tile. The architects said that the tile is anchored on hidden stainless steel separators along all vertical and horizontal surfaces of the building. The house was designed with a sanded matte stainless steel angle that goes around the cladding and highlights the changes in the floor plan. The tile is split in places to facilitate ventilation and indirect light. (To see more photos of this spectacular house click on the link above.)

The snippet above and the one below were taken from a weekly e-newsletter I receive from "CFile", which states it is the number one site, globally, for contemporary ceramics in news, architecture, art, design and technology. "Taking the thirty-year history and achievements of the Ceramic Arts Foundation (CAF) as a launch point, Garth Clark has created the non-profit CFile Foundation, a global community for ceramic creatives in art, design, architecture, and technology.  The foundation’s mission is to foster dialogue between the many disciplines in which ceramic creatives are working today and to broaden that dialogue to include the wider worlds of the visual arts.  At the heart of this mission is a free online campus that provides news, critical writing, and scholarly exhibitions relating to ceramics around the globe." (http://www.cfileonline.org)

Patricia Urquiola's Tile Designs

Naturally colored tiles by Patricia Urquiola for Mutina Ceramiche. (Photo: http://www.cfileonline.org/tile-naturally-colored-tiles-patricia-urquiola/)

"Patricia Urquiola is a Spanish designer who studied at the Polytechnic Universities of Madrid and Milan. Her career began in Italy and today she works on architecture projects for private homes, hotels and showrooms. She’s received awards including a Wallpaper Design Award, Elle Decoration International Design Award and Designer of the Year for the first time in 2003 and numerous times after."

Another of my weekly architecture/art/design/technology newsletters is "designboom" (http://www.designboom.com). The snippet below is part of a larger article about colorful Mexican tiles used to decorate a restaurant. "founded in 1999, designboom is the world's first and most popular digital architecture and design magazine. ...designboom aims to bring together professional and young creatives from a diverse range of backgrounds. by publishing the latest news and key issues in the fields of architecture, design, technology and art, our mission over the past 13 years has remained the same: unearthing the best projects and curating a selection of the most interesting aspects of contemporary culture...before you can find it anywhere else." (http://www.designboom.com/about-us/)

Llama Restaurant and Mexican Tiles

Tiled basement space of Llama in Copenhagen. Photo courtesy of kilo and cofoco: http://www.designboom.com/architecture/big-bjarke-ingels-jakob-lange-llama-restaurant-copenhagen-05-26-2014/?utm_campaign=monthly&utm_medium=e-mail&utm_source=subscribers)

"BIG partners bjarke ingels and jakob lange have collaborated with kilo founder lars larsen and creative director jonas hartz in completing ‘llama‘ a new dining establishment in the danish capital of copenhagen. ...the previously unused basement has been clad with colorful patterns and fitted out with black furnishings, creating an intimate space that simultaneously feels connected with the city. the walls and floors are lined with handcrafted mexican cement tiles fusing latin designs with scandanavian influences. ...‘from an architectural point of view, I think we have created a remarkable transformation – the main idea of merging two cultures has turned an interpretation of a traditional latin american vernacular into a contemporary copenhagen public space,’ observed BIG partner jakob lange. (phillip stevens, designboom, may 26, 2014)

Bacardi in Miami

The Bacardi Building in Miami. (http://www.cfileonline.org/architecture-flashback-2009-bacardi-building-miami-gains-historic-status/?mc_cid=13cc40b1ff&mc_eid=ce20ac39ad)

"Empty buildings don’t have a long life-expectancy in Miami, but the story about the 1963 Bacardi headquarters on Biscayne Boulevard has a happy ending.

This modernist blue and white tile structure was profiled recently in an issue of Ocean Drive magazine. It was designed by Cuban architect Enrique Gutierrez, who previously worked on Bacardi’s headquarters in Mexico City… .

The building towers above its neighbors and features handpainted tiles depicting tropical themes by Brazilian artist Francisco Brennand. An annex building was constructed by architect Ignacio Carrera-Justiz later in 1974. Photographs of both buildings are included below." (see: http://www.cfileonline.org/architecture-flashback-2009-bacardi-building-miami-gains-historic-status/?mc_cid=13cc40b1ff&mc_eid=ce20ac39ad; article from CFile, http://www.cfileonline.org)

A preservationist friend sent me the link below to an article about a tiled Dutch powerhouse built in the center of a town. I have since subscribed to the Inhabitat newsletter.

Gorgeous Dutch Power Plant Clad in Delftware Tiles! 

From an article by Andrew Michler on the Inhabitat website: http://inhabitat.com/gorgeous-dutch-power-plant-clad-in-delftware-tiles/

"Anonymous utility buildings dot our cities, keeping the other buildings humming -- but they're almost never part of the aesthetic fabric of the urban scene. Taking this into account, we were excited to see this unique power plant clad in beautiful Delftware tiles. Designed by Dutch architecture design firm Cie in collaboration with artist Hugo Kaagman, this new Combined Cycle Energy plant (CHP) in downtown Roombeek is an extraordinary ode to the past and a celebration of modern infrastructure. The building has been named Stadshaard (which translates to ‘city hearth’), to honor the source of the city’s light and heat. ...To celebrate the building as the community’s hearth, the designers decided to tile it in iconic Delftware glazed tiles that commemorate the Netherlands native and communicate the function of the building they clad. The simple but expansive scale of the building makes it the largest delftware artwork in the Netherlands! 

A selection of the new Delft tiles on the building.

"Hugo Kaagman states 'The scale of the ornaments on the tower is bigger, like the motives on the corners of the building that seem to hold the building together. The tower is reminiscent of a church tower. At the top is the sun motif composed of tulips with the symbolism of the solar rays, so it is a temple of energy.'"

Tiled levels

Tour the Newly Renovated LEED Silver-Seeking Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum

by Lori Zimmer

Get excited New Yorkers - the new and improved Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum at the historic Andrew Carnegie mansion will be opening its doors in just six months! For the past year, the museum has been undergoing a major overhaul that has not only expanded the pristine exhibition space, but has painstakingly refurbished the original ornate details that were installed by Carnegie during the Gilded Age. The museum, which is set to open on December 12, 2014 (the same day Carnegie moved in back in 1903), will be poised to excel as the world’s only museum exclusively devoted to historic and contemporary design thanks to the visionary work of Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, Gluckman Mayner Architects and Hood Design. Inhabitat recently had the chance to get a sneak peek of the museum's interior before thousands of design artifacts are moved back in. Come along on our photo tour to check it out for yourself! (http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tour-the-newly-renovated-leed-silver-seeking-cooper-hewitt-smithsonian-design-museum-photos/)

(Photo by Lori Zimmer)

Peter's Paris

As a final snippet--but not a modern architecture/design website and newsletter, I'd like to suggest reading Peter Olsen's blog about his wanderings through Paris, http://www.peter-pho2.com. Peter's writings are full of the present and past architectural Paris. If you are going to visit Paris, or are interested in Parisian architecture, check out "Peter's Paris".

The 2014 Monumenta exhibition, “L’Etrange Cité”, at the Grand Palais. (Photo by Peter Olsen)