Lively, fresh, forward-looking, but also socially relevant — this defines Azure, the leading design publication covering the expanding world of international contemporary architecture and design. Each issue delivers readers inspiring ideas and cutting-edge innovations, from state-of-the-art green building to the latest in furniture and home accessories from around the globe.
Open to Privacy • Nienkämper’s VOX Hex workstations deftly combine collaboration and seclusion in a compact design
Azure • Vol. 37 - No. 288 SEPT/OCT 2021
Purpose Built
Smooth Sailing • For its first North American collaboration, Fantini unveils a nautical-inspired bath fixture series by Yabu Pushelberg
Mood Collection • People, projects and products you need to know about now
Natural Cycles • A HYBRID CREMATORIUM IN RURAL INDIA PROVIDES A PATH TO THE AFTERLIFE
Curtain Calling • ESTUDI{H}AC’S FIRST CERAMIC TILE LINE BORROWS FROM VALENCIAN TEXTILES
Eye Catcher • FLEXIBLE DISPLAYS AND GENTLE CURVES DEFINE THIS TORONTO BOUTIQUE’S ADAPTABLE OUTPOST
Gone Saline • HOW DESIGN STUDIO WAIWAI IS TURNING INDUSTRIAL WASTE INTO A POTENTIAL SUBSTITUTE FOR PORTLAND CEMENT
In the Round • TADAO ANDO’S RENOVATION OF A HISTORIC PARISIAN HUB TURNS THE NEOCLASSICAL BUILDING INTO A SCULPTURAL ART CENTRE
Pier Supports • WHILE UNDENIABLY CONTROVERSIAL, THOMAS HEATHERWICK’S NEW PUBLIC PARK IS A STAGGERING TECHNICAL FEAT
Testing the Waters • IN SHANGHAI, LINEHOUSE CONVERTS A NEGLECTED SWIMMING POOL INTO A VIBRANT MULTI-USE SPACE
Team Players • CREATE FUNCTIONAL AND FLEXIBLE SETTINGS WITH THESE COLLECTIONS OF SEATING, DESKING AND MORE
Shared Locations • AUSTRALIAN ARCHITECT BILL DOWZER ON HOW CO-WORKING SPACES CAN SUPPORT BOTH INDIVIDUALS AND THE TEAM
Join the Club • TURNING ITS BASEL HEADQUARTERS INTO A HANDS-ON LAB, VITRA EXPLORES THE LAYERED NEEDS OF TODAY’S OFFICE
Treading Softly • WITH BIOPHILIC DESIGNS AND UNCONVENTIONAL TEXTURES, THESE CARPET TILE COLLECTIONS SOOTHE THE SOUL
Keep It Down • ADAPTABLE ACOUSTIC SOLUTIONS THAT CAN BE EASILY INCORPORATED INTO NEARLY ANY SETTING
Building Blocks • STUDIO KOMO’S PARED-DOWN TAKE ON MODULAR FURNITURE BRINGS VERSATILITY TO A STUTTGART CO-WORKING SPACE
Low Tech High • WITH THE BURKINA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, KÉRÉ ARCHITECTURE EXPLORES NEW WAYS TO USE HUMBLE MATERIALS TO SPECTACULAR EFFECT
SILENT TREATMENT • KNOWN FOR TRANSFORMING INFRASTRUCTURE INTO ARCHITECTURAL FEATS, TORONTO PRACTICE GH3* UNVEILS A STORMWATER PROCESSING FACILITY THAT DOUBLES AS A STOIC CIVIC LANDMARK
ARCHITECTURE IS NEVER COMPLETE • IN VENEZUELA’S CAPITAL, ELISA SILVA LEVERAGES PUBLIC SPACE TO CONNECT A FRAGMENTED CITY
COMMUNITY TIES • Across North America, architects and community leaders are fostering more socially and environmentally sustainable approaches to rebuilding publicly run housing. One unifying principle? Avoid displacement and (almost) never demolish.
Life, Together • A Venice Biennale about the spaces that unite us
MAJOR PLAY • DESIGN TRENDS 2022 For many of us, the pandemic that has gripped the planet over the past year and a half has not only upended our lives and threatened our physical well-being — it has also sparked an existential crisis. How should we live? That is the question. By focusing inward, we’ve reappraised the values that give life meaning. Over the next year, more than ever, we’ll be seeking out joy, togetherness and serenity, both at home and in the world.
COLLECTIVE ACTS
NEW RITUALS
Both Sides Now • CONCRETE’S MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES SHINE THROUGH IN ARCHITECT MARCO ORTALLI’S REFINED CASA ELL IN COMO, ITALY
Bathroom
Wall and Ceiling
Eastern...