growing panes

• • • are generally not without, pain, yes?

And, yes, I imply the word 'panes' purposefully.

Why? We understand panes to be generally panes of glass, as in windows. Windows suggest vision or views - perhaps even viewpoints. Views then also suggest horizons - seen as one gazes through the panes that enclose us, even protect and shelter us from winds, rains, sleet, etcetera.

Thus, it is that - and thus it purposeful as we gingerly feel our way back outwards and ever so cautiously towards normalcy. Is it too much, or perhaps too soon, to allow ourselves to hope for such? No one has that answer - that is the one known fact. 'Steady as she goes', 
    What means that? - is a logical question. By definition, 
Describing someone or something that is progressing in a stable manner. This nautical phrase was originally used in reference to a ship that was sailing steadily. (Ships were traditionally referred to as female.)

And so, we do know, that all of us - globally, are more than just a little bit hopeful that our lives - our families, our friends, will once again revert to normal orbits. 

​Wait, and, see  . . . . . . . . . . 

We will, wait - and we will          see.

FEATURE ARTICLE

Over the course of these past months there have been many opinions about the overall effects of the pandemic in regards to the seriousness of the financial impact, the resulting economic fallout.
One of the least talked about topics has been, what is happening, what is going to happen to all the commercial office spaces that are now sitting, dormantly vacant. 
Not abandoned - not as yet - but empty, largely, of people, workers. Many such premises are restricted to a maximum staff presence of 25%. All for good and understandable reasons.
But - what happens next. There is, a next - an ominous next. I have been trumpeting, for much of the last year, the need to be aware of and become familiar with the dire situation regarding commercial properties. In part, for us all to understand that the long-term repercussions of this tragedy will have effects lasting generations in that the core of our cities will irretrievably be changed - that major office towers will sit, mostly empty. There needs to be a strategy to develop a plan for the use, the alternative re-purposing of all that empty space. Frankly, building owners, landlords are quite likely going to soon declare bankruptcy. They cannot possibly susrtain the ongoing costs of supporting non-performing cost centers. And then what? Honestly, no one in the real estate world has any kind of an answer.

But the core article was prompted by this in the March 21st Forbes issue:

Ford Gives 30,000 Employees The Option To
​Work From Home Permanently      by  Stephanie Sarki

As the ensuing analysis reveals, the abandonment of millions and millions of square feet of commercial office space is, the unseen 'elephant in the room.' 

Insofar as this is a very complex subject, the complete article I have written is
​ contained on this linked page : :

FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

Go immediately to the sections shown by the images by click on the photograph

• • • and speaking of ships, how about this one?

​Benetti Yachts
M/Y Lana Is Longer Than a Football Field

Socially distance in style on board Benetti’s magnificent new 107-metre gigayacht.

Written by:  Craig Ritchie

​It’s always good to get away from it all, and it’s even better if you can do that in over-the-top luxury and style. So what better way to beat the COVID blahs than spending a bit of time socially distancing aboard the M/Y Lana—a majestic 107-metre gigayacht.

Swimming pool? Check. Beach club? You betcha. Sweetheart of a wine cellar? Yup. Spa? Absolutely. That’s because Lana is a veritable floating palace with every imaginable luxury, and it can be all yours on charter for a mere €1.7 million or around $2.5 million Canadian per week.

Completed in 2019 and crowned 2020 yacht of the year at the World Yacht Trophies in Cannes last September, the Benetti-built gigayacht utilizes a “supercruiser” design by naval architect Pierluigi Ausonio, with an emphasis on efficient long-haul travel across the oceans of the world. Powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce 2,800-kilowatt engines that push the vessel to a top speed of 18.5 knots, Lana still cruises comfortably at 16 knots for up to 5,500 nautical miles between fuel stops—enough to travel nonstop from Vancouver to Tahiti or from Toronto to Rome. And do it all in superlative comfort.
Longer than a football field and a full five decks high, there’s no shortage of personal space for guests onboard Lana. A total of eight luxurious VIP staterooms accommodate a total of just 12 guests, while a crew of 33—including a master chef and a masseuse—caters to their every need right around the clock.
Lana’s fresh and contemporary interior showcases exquisite design work in a sophisticated, modern palette, keeping with the yacht’s sleek white hull and stylish plumb bow. Generous ceiling heights of 2.7 metres throughout combine with a luxurious 14.4-metre beam to further augment that exaggerated sense of space and scale.

​The main deck is highlighted by an inviting salon with enormous floor-to-ceiling windows and multiple large sofas, creating an ideal environment for conversation while watching the world drift by or enjoying a movie on the high-definition widescreen TV. Aft of the salon, a wonderful cockpit lounge with even larger sofas, a huge coffee table, and eye-popping wrap-around views invites relaxation. Feel like an after-dinner stroll? Lana’s wide promenade circles all the way around the main deck, providing an ideal place to take that evening passeggiata.

When it’s time to come inside and unwind over a film, guests can either relax in the salon or head to the on-board cinema, complete with an audiophile surround sound system and a range of oversized armchairs and sofas that take movie night to an entirely new level. There’s even a grand piano for pre- and postfilm entertainment.
Adjacent to the salon is the main deck foyer with its magnificent spiral staircase leading to Lana’s formal dining area. If you feel like dining al fresco, then head up that spiral staircase to the sundeck, where there is a large swimming pool located forward, a spacious sundeck far aft, and a second dining space in between, dominated by a magnificent hand-sculpted onyx table.

Guest accommodation is located far forward back on the main deck, with seven VIP staterooms each tastefully appointed with its own unique style and decor. Massive windows with one-way glass allow breathtaking views without forsaking privacy.
​
The owner’s suite occupies much of the upper deck, accessed via a pair of private staircases. Stretching the full 14-metre width of the vessel, the suite is exceptionally spacious, bright, and airy, creating an instantly homey and welcoming space. Elegant wood panelling and a range of modern objects d’art bring further warmth to the suite and the adjoining owner’s lounge, which provides an ideal spot for a relaxing nightcap or that first cup of coffee in the morning.

This article appeared originally in NUVO magazine.

I'm quite sure you are asking yourselves, 'Why is this being featured? This is not anything that might be within our orbit.'  And, right you would be - but it is here for a couple of reasons - we should never stop dreaming - dreaming can be inspirational. Particularly in these times when distractions, regardless of how deep the fantasy, can and do, take us to another place. It's not a question of affordability - The Lana - and her sister ships from Imperial Yachts the range of $4million/week - that's USD to boot.
But - there are those who can, and do, spend that kind of money.

More importantly though is that there is a dreamlike quality to the design(s) - plural? Yes -  because the marine architecture as it expresses this most elegant formshape is the envelope. The interiors, furnishings, finishes - are superbly elegant. No argument there. So- know what? Dream a little - relax into it - sit back on a lounge watching the sun going down - just there - sip a margarita, or two. Wait for the dinner call. Enjoy. 

Möbius,  influenced by water and ideas of eternity, the double-ended Möbius sofa by Lauren Colquhoun for Bazaar offers space for two people to sit and contemplate.

Colquhoun, an interior designer, originally created the Möbius loveseat for a London riverside project by design studio Accouter.

The riverside setting led Colquhoun to consider symbols of flow and eternity, which in turn led to the möbius strip — a band with one edge and one side that is non-orientable.

​It is available exclusively through Bazaar London.

Product: Möbius
Designer: Lauren Colquhoun
Brand: Bazaar
Contact: veronica@bazaar-london.com

tahhhh!  mexico!  personally, have been to mexico only once - and that was to Cancun.....a different kind of mexico.

This kind of Mexico is the realDeal, I think

TACO Architects took this tiny little hacienda and converted it into a most charming village restaurant.

TACO Converts Small Rural House Into A Restaurant On A Corner Plot In Mérida, Mexico

​Mexican architecture firm TACO taller de arquitectura contextual has converted a small rural house into a restaurant and place that can serve for multi-use facilities for the local community in Mérida, Mexico.

Named Al Modar Founders Pavilion, the 75-square-metre building, which is also described as a pavilion, is located in one of the corners that contain the foundational square of Cholul, a community of pre-Hispanic origin belonging to the city of Mérida, southeast of Mexico.

The goal of the project was to create "a casual, cool and relaxed meeting place where users could live a sensory experience through coffee, food, nature, the built environment and social interaction," as the studio highlighted.

"This received a modification 25 years before, in which the original roof and openings were lost." 

The architects demolished the added covers and recovered the original structure of the stone masonry walls, which were prepared to support a double-height reinforced concrete barrel vault over the main access.

​The main access is extended to the covered area as well as a flat slab over the service area that supports an open terrace at the top, from which a new way of appreciating the public square is generated. 

The two-storey house contains a small secondary floor and an outdoor stair climbing up to a small terrace. The terrace also includes service tables for customers. Inside of the restaurant, guests can see a large clerestory which has a double height with vaulted part. 

"In the overlapping of the slabs, a north-facing window is created that evacuates the hot air, introduces light and frames views towards the treetops," added the firm. 

"Both the vault and the murals on the façade, made from the scraping of layers of paint that it has received during its history, refer to the vault and characteristic murals of the 16th century Church, cataloged as a Historical Monument, that is located in front of the building."

"85% of the tables are outdoors due to sanitary dispositions." 
"These are divided between the backyard and the raised terrace. The interior space works with cross ventilation and is made up of a small area for diners, the service bar, the toilets and the storage and support areas," added the studio.

For material choice, the studio used materials that are warm and simple referring to the character of rural Yucatecan architecture. The studio preserved and restored the stucco paintings of the original walls

The interior floors are made of devastated white concrete with ecocrete joints to release moisture from the floor. Non-slip hammered concrete floor was laid on the raised terrace and staircase. 

The architects created a leveling for the backyard with local walkable and permeable gravel. "In the same way, blacksmithing elements with encapsulated oxide, stainless steel, apparent concrete lattice, stone blocks from the region, transparent glass and yellow screen-printed glass were used," the team added.

The studio used cedar hardwood and regional Tzalam for doors and tables (respectively) while the chairs were made of white plastic. The landscaping takes cues from the aesthetics of Mayan plots that stimulates the senses. 

"The plant proposal dignifies the pre-existing trees and is consolidated by means of concrete pots, produced in the locality with endemic vegetation, concrete benches attached to the stone low walls and a water garden with a recirculation fountain," added the architects.

Project name: Al Modar Founders Pavilion

Architects: TACO taller de arquitectura contextual
Location: Mérida, Mexico.
Size: 75m2 
Date: 2021                                             All images © Leo Espinosa

Wanna live with a classic? I always yearned for an Eames chair • just never seemed to fit (spatially)  into my plans - pity! Albeit the seat/chair is a wondrous work of art, of superb comfort, the design was too perfect. By that I mean, had Charles and Ray designed it without the ottoman, it would have had a very different life in the world of design. It may have been that it always was 'in want' of an ottoman, but were there not one as a partner in the design, architects, designers and stylists would have found a way for it still to be the success it became.

And so, this re-interpretation, although brilliant, will suffer the same fate. It's like one cannot 'unseeded' something. Right? Both the original and this newer version have become organic lifeforms of their own.
Yeah - sounds weird, I know. But try to visualize a pair of these in a room, side by side, without the accompanying ottoman. One would always be asking the question, 'What's missing?' Get it? Sure you do.

IMHO the first version in blue leather and rosewood, is completely simpatico with the original. This version, in an orange leather, has set itself up  to fail - for the accompanying spatter/texture whatever simply does NOT work.....it appears unfinished. And the color dynamic is lost. Too bad. . . . . 

From WALLPAPER
 : : BY JONATHAN BELL  -  Transport & Technology Editor
In the two years since Ian Callum left his post as director of design at Jaguar, the Scottish designer has had to contend with a lot. Launching a new design agency in the teeth of the pandemic was his first challenge. Seeing his beloved alma mater pivot away from the design direction he was instrumental in defining has also been tough to watch from the sidelines. His new agency, CALLUM Designs, is free from the complexities that can come with working for a major car company.
That’s not to say that the new agency is a free for all. CALLUM’s first project harked back to pre-Jaguar days, and the first-generation Aston Martin Vanquish, one of Ian Callum’s most famous car designs. The result was a limited edition that revisited the Vanquish with fresh eyes, new technology and a new level of sophistication. Although it’s still finding its feet in an uncertain working landscape, Callum and his team have several other projects on the go, including the much-anticipated Kincsem ‘Hyper-GT’, as well as a design for Prodrive’s BRX T1 desert racing car.

​In the two years since Ian Callum left his post as director of design at Jaguar, the Scottish designer has had to contend with a lot. Launching a new design agency in the teeth of the pandemic was his first challenge. Seeing his beloved alma mater pivot away from the design direction he was instrumental in defining has also been tough to watch from the sidelines. His new agency, CALLUM Designs, is free from the complexities that can come with working for a major car company.
That’s not to say that the new agency is a free for all. CALLUM’s first project harked back to pre-Jaguar days, and the first-generation Aston Martin Vanquish, one of Ian Callum’s most famous car designs. The result was a limited edition that revisited the Vanquish with fresh eyes, new technology and a new level of sophistication. Although it’s still finding its feet in an uncertain working landscape, Callum and his team have several other projects on the go, including the much-anticipated Kincsem ‘Hyper-GT’, as well as a design for Prodrive’s BRX T1 desert racing car.

From cars to chairs
The company is also keen to go beyond automotive design and we spoke to Callum and creative designer Aleck Jones, about their next steps. Callum spent much of 2020 working remotely from his home in Scotland but the team is slowly getting back to their Warwickshire HQ. ‘Most creatives are people people – we like to communicate,’ the designer admits over the ubiquitous Zoom link. Even when they’re back at full strength, it’ll still be a relatively small outfit. ‘This studio size is right for me now,’ says Callum. ‘Our team are much younger than me, and maybe my objectives are a bit different to theirs – but I just want to do things I enjoy.’ 

There is a good deal more to this insightful article - click to go to the web-site.

Gutsy
Bold
Impossible
Beautiful
Frightening
Exhilarating

Which is it? Look a little further before you make a decision - and answer this question honestly.

Could you live here?

Let's examine what we see. An A-frame structure, virtually free-floating in space. No part of this house actually touches the earth. It's a space capsule, more or less.
​The whole dwelling is suspended by heavy duty cabling from the monolithic structural wall at the cliff edge. Note the suspended 'deck'- everything is transparent.

THIS DAREDEVIL HIDEAWAY CABIN DEFIES GRAVITY USING FIVE SUPPORT
CABLES FOR THE ULTIMATE THRILLING EXPERIENCE!
BY SHAWN MCNULTY-KOWAL  04/29/2021

​Milad Eshtiyaghi, an international architect based in Iran, designs escapist dream homes stationed in faraway cliffs and shorelines to evoke feelings of wanderlust and nostalgia. Committed to sustainability and green design, Eshtiyaghi’s buildings typically gleam with a minimalist polish, offering a striking contrast to the epic environments where Eshtiyaghi chooses to place them. Milad Eshtiyaghi aimed to achieve this same air of duality with Suspended House, a reinterpreted A-frame cabin that hangs off a California cliffside with the help of five high-tensile support cables.

​Peeking out from the cliffs of Mendocino, California, Suspended House hovers in midair. In his rendering, Eshtiyaghi conceptualized Suspended House after choosing its cliffside location. To ensure that the structure would hold tight and remain in place, Eshtiyaghi looked to using five high-tensile support cables and a large foundation mast. The large mast works by balancing the forces of gravity and gently ‘tugging’ the A-frame cabin towards the mast for it to remain upright. In addition to the large foundation mast, five high-tensile support cables securely lodge the cabin in place from all sides.

​The land-locked parts of Suspended House remain stable in place and offer a cozy respite from the more daunting facades of Suspended House. For the most part, the entire cabin remains on solid ground except for a hanging living area, left dangling above the Pacific. The living area’s glass floor and furniture only work to steepen this daredevil’s hideaway and turn it into an oasis for those braver than the faint of heart. Sitting near the precipice of the glass floor, hanging above the ocean’s floor, guests can take it one step further and play on the cabin’s swing to soar over the Pacific.

Furniture brands Herman Miller and Knoll announce merger
   by Cajsa Carlson ​                     

​Furniture brand Herman Miller is acquiring fellow manufacturer Knoll in a transaction that will see the two American design companies combined into one.

Herman Miller is set to acquire Knoll in a cash and stock transaction valued at $1.8 billion that has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies, the brands announced on a new, combined website.

Merger to create "leader in modern design"

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021. When completed, Herman Miller shareholders will own approximately 78 per cent of the combined company. Knoll shareholders will own approximately 22 per cent.

The merger will create the "preeminent leader in modern design," the two brands claimed in the release. Between them, Herman Miller and Knoll have 19 brands and a presence in more than 100 countries.

Both companies have a number of iconic designs under their umbrellas, with Herman Miller producing the Eames lounge chair and the Aeron chair by Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick. Knoll has Marcel Breuer's Wassily chair and Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich's Barcelona chair.

"This transaction brings together two pioneering icons of design with strong businesses, attractive portfolios and long histories of innovation," said Herman Miller CEO Andi Owen.

"As distributed working models become the new normal for companies, businesses are reimagining the office to foster collaboration, culture and focused work, while supporting a growing remote employee base. At the same time, consumers are making significant investments in their homes," she added.

"With a broad portfolio, global footprint and advanced digital capabilities, we will be poised to meet our customers everywhere they live and work."

Expected annual revenue of $3.6 billion

The coronavirus pandemic was one factor in the merger, with the companies explaining that it will allow them to "catalyse the transformation of the home and office at a time of unprecedented disruption".

The brands said the merger will also create a broader product portfolio, build on Herman Miller's digital transformation to expand the new company's digital capabilities, and deliver "significant financial benefits".

Within two years of its closing, the deal is expected to generate $100 million of run-rate cost synergies, savings that occur when duplicate costs for two companies – such as supply chain costs – are merged.

The combined company will have projected annual revenue of approximately $3.6 billion and projected adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of approximately $552 million, based on the two brands' last financial reports as well as the cost synergies.

It will be led by Owen, who will serve as its president and CEO. Knoll chairman and CEO Andrew Cogan will leave the company when the transaction closes.

HOH Café // Infeel Architects          •             Taiwan

From Architizer : : www.architizer.com

​Text description provided by the architects.
The project aims to create an invisible path that stretches into the forest from the edge of the city. Conforming to the origin terrain, the path meanders freely along the sleepers and the big tree. The old container building opens through the path, and the uncertainty of the boundary permeates with surrounding environment instantly.

People, sunlight and air jointly flow in this natural place.This is a single but not monotonous space. The coffee shop is converted from old containers using the rust iron that corresponds to the original material, and the continuously extending bar completely presents the barista’s posture. The free flow of these elements give the shop a unique appearance.Through the creation of individual terrains and the creation of tiny corners, we would like to create a special walking experience like in the nature, carrying out a rich and diverse spatial experience.A path of “feeling”, extending from the street of the city.

​From the moment of slipping in, the scenery along the path is the emphasis we care. Taking advantage of the subtle changes between the continuums, we make the nature becomes more plentiful.