A dreamy and organically shaped store in the Chinese city of Chengdu uses irregular curves to bring nature and curiosity into the muted green space.

Dressingforfun Renewal cafe by NTYPE architecture features flowing walls and curved oval windows that integrate the city street with the shop’s interiors. Plants scatter the facade and the inside, creating a tranquil, calm and relaxing space, juxtaposed against the busy traffic on the outside. The earthy tones and glimpses into the soft interiors are designed to coax passers-by into the store to explore the urban furniture while interacting with it.

Designed with curiosity in mind, the architects strategically created different sized openings to create an other-worldly feel that encourages rest, contemplation and exploration.

(h/t) designboom.com

Looking for more architectural inspiration? Check out Casa Azul by Bak Gordon Arquitectos.

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LA.Prime Kitchen is a new contemporary eatery and cocktail bar designed by Shanghai-based studio Quarta & Armando Architecture Design Research.

While it may be located in a shopping centre, the 280 m² LA.Prime Kitchen is anything but your typical mall eatery. The design concept came as a result of two ideas that are pivotal to founders Gianmaria Quarta and Michele Armando’s design aesthetic.

Not wanting to conform to one style, they started off by crafting a particular set of rules and playing with them by adding touches of “hybridisation and complexity”. The result is a finish that boasts both balance and juxtaposition, something that is illustrated in the combination of both colourful and monochromatic palettes.

The ceiling’s bent steel screens aim to capture light as it changes throughout the day. Typically indoor materials, such as striped concrete tiles, coarse-grained stucco and terrazzo flooring are instead used outside and greenery comes indoors to add a natural touch to the space.

The eatery also features a large circular mirror. “Projected onto its irregular surface, the light of the space underneath distorts into colourful shapes before being cast outside,” explains the team.

See more projects by Q&A Architecture Design Research here. 

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From a giant whale sculpture made out of plastic waste and the haute couture collection by fashion designer Iris van Herpen to a new Apple store in Macau, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 240.

1. STUDIOKCA’s Plastic Whale Sculpture

“Architecture and design brand STUDIOKCA has constructed a giant whale sculpture, entitled Skyscraper, for the Bruges Triennial,” says Online Editor Lindi Brownell Meiring. “Made using more than 5 tonnes of plastic waste found in the ocean, the sculpture highlights the sad fact that there is 150 million tonnes of plastic waste in our oceans today. Watch the clip below to find out more about this project.”

Image credit: Mathias Desmet via studiokca.com Video credit: STUDIOKCA on Vimeo

2. Foster + Partners Apple Store

Architecture firm Foster + Partners is behind the design of the striking new Apple store in Macau, complete with translucent stone walls and towering bamboo shoots,” says Copy Editor Kay Ann van Rooyen. “I love the way in which the firm has incorporated nature into the design.”

Image credit: Nigel Young via dezeen.com

3. Iris van Herpen’s Syntopia Collection

“For her latest haute couture collection, Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen collaborated with artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta of Studio Drift to create garments that explore the relationship between biology and technology,” says Content Producer Mary Garner. “The visual feast of a collection is a showcase of wearable, movable and immersive sculptures.”

Image credit: irisvanherpen.com

4. Miralles Tagliabue’s Woven Architecture

“Architecture studio Miralles Tagliabue’s woven installation, unveiled at the recent Biennale Architettura 2018, is made of sustainable American red oak and fibre glass thread,” says Managing Editor Samantha Charles. “Amazing!”

Image credit: mirallestagliabue.com

5. Google Pixel Wall

“Graphic designer and animator Rasmus Bak and his team created a visual installation for the Google internal on-campus store in California,” says Art Director Lené Roux. “The fun animation is made up of 36 Pixel tablets.”

Video credit: Rasmus Bak via Vimeo

Browse more like VISI picks of the week series – week 240 on picks of the week 125.

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From a geometric house in Portugal to picture-perfect cake pops, a library designed by MVRDV and a new release from local studio Douglas & Company, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 207.

1. Geometric Ourém House

“Designed by architect Filipe Saraiva for his family, this striking house in Ourém, Portugal is based on geometric shapes,” says Online Editor Lindi Brownell Meiring. “I just can’t get enough of that wooden deck.”

Image credit: João Morgado via Archdaily.com

2. Raymond Tan Dessert Shop

“Raymond Tan, who goes by Ray Ray, is a self-taught cake designer with a strong following on Instagram, thanks to the brilliantly styled shots he posts of his work,” says Content Producer Mary Garner. “He is particularly well known for his colourful popsicle-shaped cake pops.”

 

Plasticism ???

A post shared by R A Y R A Y (@rymondtn) on Nov 3, 2017 at 3:35am PDT

 

Serving fish ?

A post shared by R A Y R A Y (@rymondtn) on Oct 21, 2017 at 9:17pm PDT

 

Colour block MOD realness ?

A post shared by R A Y R A Y (@rymondtn) on Sep 2, 2017 at 9:35pm PDT

3. Euler’s Ashes Tray By Local Studio Douglas & Company

“This tray, which was originally conceptualised as an ashtray, is a tribute to Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler, and is based on Douglas & Company’s Herr Euler table,” says Managing Editor Samantha Charles. “They are made from both glazed and unglazed stoneware and were recently launched at the AKAA (Also Known As Africa Africa) art and design fair in Paris.”

Image credit: douglasandco.co.za

4. MVRDV Library

“This public library in Tianjin Binhai, China, designed by MVRDV, is one of five buildings intended to created a new cultural centre for the seaside city,” says Editor-in-Chief Sumien Brink. “Imagine getting stuck into a good book in this breathtaking space?”

Image credit: dezeen.com

5. S’well Bottles

“These nifty BPA-free S’well bottles are made from triple-walled ThermaS’well technology with a copper layer,” says Features Editor Amelia Brown. “Best of all, the bottles don’t sweat, so it won’t make the other items in your bag wet while you’re on the go.”

Image credit: swellbottle.com

Browse more like VISI picks of the week series – week 207 on picks of the week 58.

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The Huangshan Mountain Village by MAD Architects is a residency that offers unrivalled access to one of China’s most beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Spanning the dreamy contours of the Huangshan mountain range in the Anhui Province of central China, the plans were originally released back in 2012 and the village still remains under construction. The low-rise residences are designed to be continued echoes of the natural mountainous topography that they are built upon. Upon completion, the complex will offer 700 apartments, a hotel and various communal amenities that are linked in a configuration that runs across the southern slope of the grand and picturesque Taiping Lake.

The village blurs the boundaries between nature and architecture in a celebration of natural beauty. Residents will enjoy a quiet retreat, spacious balconies that overlook the lake, communal spaces and walking paths that encourage the appreciation of the natural surroundings. Each floor of the building is accessed from unique shared and social spaces encouraging a sense of community. Interiors continue the theme of the natural environment and are being constructed with local materials, with a focus on the incorporation of plants and greenery.

For more projects by MAD Architects, visit their website.

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Number 12 Middle School by Atelier Alter in Beijing is not only a kindergarten but a gigantic contemporary artwork of colour and light.

Situated in China’s Fengtai, this kindergarten is definitely the most colourful in Beijing. The building’s rehabilitation project saw the old building transformed into a playful work of art that makes for an arresting contrast against the concrete jungle it is surrounded by. The school boasts clean lines and large pop-up blocks of primary colour that jut out from the various sides of the building in a two-dimensional splash of brightness. At night, two sides of the coloured volumes light up, making for a subtle and unique night-time show.

Inspired by children’s building blocks and the way they see the world in general, the building intends to create a dialogue with kids through primary colours and colourful spaces to encourage them to explore shapes, spaces and colours in their world of imagination and play. Interiors see a cleverly purposeful use of colour: blue is used for the nursery, green for toddlers and orange for pre-school kids, intending to emphasise different levels of calmness or activeness within the various age groups.

To view more of Atelier Alter’s work, visit their website.

(h/t) archdaily.com

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For English subtitles, please click CC at the bottom left corner of the video.

The Seashore Library, designed by Vector Architects in 2015, is situated in Nandaihe Pleasure City in China.

“The moment you walk in you will feel moved by something,” says lead architect Gong Dong. It’s a building that exudes a sense of serenity. The 450m² space features a two-storey high reading room, which Gong states is the theme space of the building, as well as a meditation room, activity room and outdoor terrace.

The importance of light in the design of the space is integral, with air vents and windows showcasing natural light at different times of the day.

A must-watch for any architecture buff.

Vector Architects is also behind the design of an amazing seashore chapel, located in Beidaihe, China, which we featured here.

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Yangzhou Zhongshuge is a monumental library and bookstore designed by Shanghai studio XL-Muse.

The space boasts a virtual tunnel of books, created by arched shelving and black mirrored floors that give the illusion of a river flowing through the tunnel. This, among numerable other design illusions, has readers of all ages flocking to the latest Zhongshuge bookstore.

Located in the Star Avenue shopping complex of Yangzhous’s Binjiang District in China, the design is inspired by the store’s waterside location and its history as a meeting place for literati and poets. It aims to serve as the bond between humans and books. The ceiling-high shelving in the tunnel is separated by a lightning-bolt-shaped gap that emulates a flowing river in the reflection below, intending to lead readers to the dramatic lobby that is comprised of a reading room and a village-themed children’s area.

The 1000 square metre project was headed by Li Xiang and features a main reading room with sculptural, white pillars that curve inwards from the ceiling, making for an interesting optical illusion. The children’s picture book pavilion is a burst of colour and play with hot air balloon, house, tower and cloud-shaped shelving, as well as multi-coloured displays bordered with a dark roof that simulates a starry-night sky.

The main store offers a clean and cool ambience created by a complementary coupling of glass, strip lights, mirror, white space and natural lighting that shines through the glazed glass wall. The Reading Corridor allows for a more intimate, dark browsing experience that makes its way to the grand Reading Theatre that boasts wraparound shelving and comfortable reading chairs.

View more XL-Muse projects at xl-muse.com.

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Filmed by Max Duncan for The Guardian and the Tate, this short takes you on a journey through Beijing with renowned artist and activist Ai Weiwei.

In this film, he explains how Beijing has changed and become a city that’s “not designed to consider ordinary people’s lives”, one of the reasons he values his village-like neighbourhood of Caochangdi.

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The design behind the 400 square metre Zuo Dun Dao Tea Restaurant in China’s Yunnan province takes inspiration from traditional Chinese bamboo weaving and Western structures.

According to Liu Haowai of CAA Architects, the creative director behind the project, it’s a combination of Eastern nostalgia and post-modernism.

We think it’s breathtaking.

View more CAA projects at caaarch.com.

(Story via archdaily.com)

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