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norman foster

Home Tag norman foster
brit architect richard rogers’ greatest legacy not a building but his activism.

brit architect richard rogers’ greatest legacy not a building but his activism.

Dec 19, 2021

above> norman foster, richard rogers, carl abbott

as richard rogers retires from the practice he founded more than 40 years ago, former colleague sarah gaventa considers his legacy.

richard rogers’ greatest achievements, to me, are not the buildings to which his name is attached – and whose design is often the work of others – but his contribution to the role and value of architecture in our society.

his highly effective activism, which is what it would be called now – lobbying and steering politicians and decision-makers, advocating for improving our cities and public spaces and the lives of citizens through quality design – seems far more important.

this activism applies to the practice too. he spotted and nurtured great talent; some who stayed to be his partners and others who went off to start their own successful practices – and whom he happily recommended for work.

above> millenium dome // below> 3 world trade

above> senedd cymru, welsh parliament // below> industrialized housing

above> taoyuan airport t3

[ rogers stirk harbour ] [ legacy source ] [ norman foster ]

citco takes part in the first edition of salone del mobile. milano shanghai.

citco takes part in the first edition of salone del mobile. milano shanghai.

Nov 8, 2016

investing in the potential and competitive energy of the chinese furnishings market, marked by a very positive trend, represents an opportunity for citco – a recognized point of reference for the design of marble – to reinforce and confirm its role of leadership on the international scene in the field of excellence made in italy, taking part in the first edition of salone del mobile.milano shanghai: from 19 to 21 november 2016 at the shanghai exhibition centre, a space of 4000 square meters will present the best design and the best aspects of the italian lifestyle.

the verona-based firm that focuses on the personality and customization of all its offerings, has always created inlaid marble surfaces that generate dramatic, exceptional impact through the most contemporary languages, in site-specific projects that address precise priorities, case by case. citco has organized its stand around the design collection, enhanced by the latest new creations based on an increasingly fertile combination of the firm’s know-how with the creative flair of internationally acclaimed designers, to invent exceptional furnishing complements.

from the hadrian and hadriana tables designed by norman foster to enigma, the table in white carrara marble by daniel libeskind sculpted in a three-dimensional matrix; from the organvase collection of vases to the splash lamp in black and white, where the marble seems to melt before the eyes of the observer, both designed by arik levy; from the ductile nature of marble that is the protagonist of the totem lamp by ferruccio laviani, in large and small versions, to the valle shelves, the luna table in polished white marble, the quad collection of tables with a forceful naturalistic look, the mercuric limited-edition collection in white, with organic forms, the tau series of vases and the tela shelving system, all created by the visionary genius of zaha hadid.

for citco, the salone del mobile in shanghai represents an opportunity to continue to grow on the chinese market, consolidating relationships through participation in prestigious trade events like this one, offering chinese professionals and consumers a first-hand experience of the excellence of the company’s products.

intermingle. expo chicago 2014.

intermingle. expo chicago 2014.

Sep 19, 2014

expo14-aerial2expo chicago 2014 | click images> enlarge

This is Expo Chicago’s third year. Despite two (a minority) DA confidants saying they thought show was unimpressive, I thought it was a refined, albeit, mindful presentation. The presence of George Lucas and ‘curator’ Shaquille O’Neal added dash. Fredric Snitzer added game and we applaud more of it. fyi – jon pylypchuk unsuccessfully attempted to quit smoking.

expo14-Pylypchuk1various titles | jon pylypchuk | fredric snitzer gallery – miami | 2012

It’s no secret, this is a tough show to get vetted into. The 2014 official release says 140, including special exhibits/projects and Exposure an initiative introducing galleries who are less than seven years old. There are 25 Exposure galleries in 2014. There are 17 countries, 43 cities. In a 2013 interview with president and director Tony Karman, he wants quality over quantity, meaning a smaller show, about 100 exhibitors. ‘When the marketplace can sustain it and quality of dealers are beating down the door, we’ll consider it. But only if the exhibitors want it, not me. It’s their space.’

What does DesignApplause look for? You have to consider our introduction to the co-existence of fine art and design. We have followed Art Basel and DesignMiami for the past six years. We first became very familiar with the design galleries at DesignMiami and then ventured to Art Basel to search for those artworks and artists who do or could also reside in a design gallery.

expo14-aerial1expo chicago 2014

DesignMiami took advantage of the drawing power of fine art over 11 years ago and has become closely entwined with Art Basel. So much so, that in the beginning DesignMiami’s venue was across the bay in the then barren, Miami Design District. For the past three years DesignMiami now resides across the street from Art Basel Miami and the crossover has been seamless.

The Design District has since attracted the best of design-centric brands and there are more and more art and design happenings when both shows are running. You find yourself walking across the street and then going west of the bay. And though ‘Design Weeks” are now too many to count and attend, Basel and Miami are both major worldwide events and unique with its offerings of fine art and design.

The original Expo Chicago concept was for an ‘Art and Design Exposition’ and Karman correctly turned the focus towards fine art and scrapped ‘design’ from the tagline in order to get the new exposition firmly up and running. In 2014, there are special exhibitions and installations at Expo that continue to feature design.

We adapted to Expo’s format by looking for artists with architecture or design backgrounds at the show. It’s impossible to look at a gallery’s offerings and predict the backgrounds of the artists. Each gallery builds their collection differently. From ‘We only focus on fine art’ through ‘No, we’re not showing anyone today with that background. Wait! This artist studied architect and this one studied design. To, ‘We didn’t bring anything to Chicago but we have two artists designing furniture and show it in our gallery in New York.’

expo14-blowup> untitled mix-media video | daniel buren | galeria milario galguera – mexico city/berlin

above> a screenshot of two images in a mixed media slide show of artist daniel buren. Buren is a French conceptual artist who’s work since the 1990s has become more architectural. This is a humorous presentation depicting online crowd sourcing, voting to blow up ugly buildings.

expo14-schlaeger1grid structure #1 | alois kron – schlaeger | cristin tierney – new york | 2014

above> Grid Structure #1 uses 22 cubes from the installation at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT. Kronschlaeger says light is always of utmost importance to his site-specific pieces and in this case, the vast space provided at Navy Pier, felt his work taking on a new look, a new personality of sorts. The gallery told us Kronschlaeger is an artist wanting to be an architect.

expo14-choi1> concept drawings | byung hoon choi | gallery friedman benda – new york

above>> we see a series of ‘one stroke’ concept drawings by artist Byung Hoon Choi of outdoor benches made of basalt. The fine artist teaches furniture design.

expo14-stockholder1once upon a time | jessica stock – holder | kavi gupta chicago – berlin | 2014

above> ‘Once Upon a Time stretches vertically 50 ft. high in response to the specific architecture of the fair. Spectators are invited to climb the work to take a fractured view through the artwork over the exhibited works and gallery booths. This transformed view takes place once, exemplifying Stockholder’s title, upon a specific place at a particular time.’ The installation is part of IN/SITU, a ‘special program’ situated throughout the exposition floor. IN/SITU provides a dynamic opportunity for exhibiting galleries to showcase large-scale installations, site-specific and performative works. DesignApplause includes Stockholder as a counterpoint to our architecture and design theme. She is trained in neither disciplines, but the artist has been celebrated for site-specific sculptures and installations that challenge boundaries, ‘blurring the distinction among painting, sculpture and environment, and even breaching gallery walls by extending beyond windows and doors.’

expo14-gamper1martino gamper | salon 94 | at frieze london 2008

Salon 94 in New York said they weren’t showing any architects or designers but had several back in their showroom.

expo14-chgodsgn1volunteers jennifer mahanay and anna mort assist at chgodsgn

above> One of several ‘special exhibitions’ CHGO DSGN is a major exhibition of Recent Object and Graphic Design by more than 100 of the city’s leading designers. Curated by Rick Valicenti, 2011 recipient of the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award, 25 designers from CHGO DSGN present their work. The Chicago Cultural Center’s exhibition programs are generously supported by the City of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). DesignApplause is honored to be in this CCC exhibit. [ details ]

[ At Expo Chicago 2014 ] 1> spin-the-spin | alice aycock | galerie thomas schulte | 2014 (aycock is a sculpture who were closely with architects and landscape designers)
2> kultur = kapital | alfredo jaar | galerie thomas schulte – berlin | 2012 (jaar is an architect)
3> relics | mark fox | robert miller gallery – new york | 2014 (fox designs wallpaper)
4> transference | yamini nayar | gallery wendy norris – san francisco | 2014 (nayor is influenced by design while at rhode island school of design studying photography)
5> les naturalistes | ysabel lemay | catherine edelman gallery – chicago | 2012 (lemay was a graphic designer for 15 years)
6> nardos de angustia | mark di suvero | john berggruen gallery – san francisco | 2010 (di suvero’s close friends include architects renzo piano and norman foster)
7> exploded pyramid for a wall situated alto relieve | daniel buren | galeria milario galguera – mexico city/berlin | 2010 (since the 1990s, buren’s work has become more architectural)
8> from the series entitled “sum over histories study for a timescape III | alice aycock | fredrick snitzer gallery – miami | 2012 (aycock is a sculpture who were closely with architects and landscape designers)
9> untitled | tsuyoshi maekawa | whitestone gallery – tokyo | 2014 (maekawa practiced as a graphic designer and printmaker)
10> b&w | david levin | marianne boesky gallery – new york | 2014 (levin studied architecture at pratt)
11> maskelyne (moon crater near equator) | john little | john mccormick gallery – chicago | 1984 (little designs textiles)
12> a-city: ac-2, sector 1576n, a-city | lebbeus woods | gallery unknown | 1986 (woods is a conceptual architect)
13> ‘shop columbia’ | student and alumni art boutique from columbia college chicago
14> ‘saic | school of the art institute of chicago art and design exhibit
15> ligne roset | expo chicago sponsor

Chosen by the 2014 selection committee comprised of Isabella Bortolozzi, Isabella Bortolozzi Galerie | Berlin; Chris D’Amelio, David Zwirner | London, New York; Rhona Hoffman, Rhona Hoffman Gallery | Chicago; Anthony Meier, Anthony Meier Fine Arts | San Francisco; David Nolan, David Nolan Gallery | New York; and Marc Selwyn, Marc Selwyn Fine Art | Beverly Hills; in addition to Candice Madey, On Stellar Rays | New York and Jessica Silverman, Jessica Silverman Gallery | San Francisco, who make up the EXPOSURE selection committee, these galleries present the best in contemporary and modern art.

[ 2014 exhibiting galleries include ] Galería Álvaro Alcázar Madrid
Ameringer | McEnery | Yohe New York
BASE GALLERY Tokyo
Galerie de Bellefeuille Montreal
John Berggruen Gallery San Francisco
Blain|Southern London | Berlin
Marianne Boesky Gallery New York
Jonathan Boos, LLC New York
Bortolami New York
Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi Berlin | London
BORZO modern and contemporary art Amsterdam
Russell Bowman Art Advisory Chicago
Rena Bransten Projects San Francisco
CABINET London
Valerie Carberry Gallery Chicago
David Castillo Gallery Miami
Cernuda Arte Coral Gables
Chambers Fine Art New York | Beijing
James Cohan Gallery New York | Shanghai
Corbett vs. Dempsey Chicago
CRG Gallery New York
Cristin Tierney Gallery New York
Stephen Daiter Gallery Chicago
Maxwell Davidson Gallery New York
Douglas Dawson Chicago
DC Moore Gallery New York
MASSIMO DE CARLO Milan | London
Elizabeth Dee New York
Catherine Edelman Gallery Chicago
Debra Force Fine Art, Inc. New York
Galerie Forsblom Helsinki
Forum Gallery New York
Marc Foxx Los Angeles
Honor Fraser Los Angeles
Fredericks + Freiser New York
Friedman Benda New York
Galeria Hilario Galguera Mexico City | Berlin
James Goodman Gallery New York
Goya Contemporary Baltimore
Richard Gray Gallery Chicago | New York
Garth Greenan Gallery New York
Galerie Karsten Greve Paris | St. Moritz | Cologne
Kavi Gupta CHICAGO | BERLIN Chicago | Berlin
Hackett | Mill San Francisco
Haines Gallery San Francisco
Hales Gallery London
Carl Hammer Gallery Chicago
Richard Heller Gallery Santa Monica
Galerie Ernst Hilger/Hilger NEXT Vienna
Hill Gallery Birmingham | Detroit
Nancy Hoffman Gallery New York
Rhona Hoffman Gallery Chicago
Vivian Horan Fine Art New York
Edwynn Houk Gallery New York | Zurich
Susan Inglett Gallery New York
Galerie Michael Janssen Berlin | Singapore
Jenkins Johnson Gallery San Francisco
Robert Koch Gallery San Francisco
Alan Koppel Gallery Chicago
Lisson Gallery London | Milan | New York
Diana Lowenstein Gallery Miami
Lawrence Markey San Antonio
Matthew Marks Gallery New York | Los Angeles
Marlborough Gallery New York | London | Madrid | Monaco | Barcelona
Barbara Mathes Gallery New York
The Mayor Gallery London
McCormick Gallery Chicago
Meessen De Clercq Brussels
Anthony Meier Fine Arts San Francisco
Jerald Melberg Gallery Charlotte
moniquemeloche Chicago
Nicholas Metivier Gallery Toronto
Laurence Miller Gallery New York
Robert Miller Gallery New York
THE MISSION Chicago | Houston
Anne Mosseri-Marlio Galerie Basel
Carolina Nitsch New York
David Nolan Gallery New York
Gallery Wendi Norris San Francisco
Richard Norton Gallery Chicago
One and J. Gallery Seoul
P.P.O.W New York
Gerald Peters New York | Santa Fe
Andrew Rafacz Chicago
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery New York
Salon 94 | New York
Julie Saul Gallery New York
Galerie Thomas Schulte Berlin
Carrie Secrist Gallery Chicago
Marc Selwyn Fine Art Beverly Hills
William Shearburn Gallery St.Louis
Shoichiro/Galerie Sho Contemporary Art Tokyo
Sicardi Gallery Houston
Jessica Silverman Gallery San Francisco
Manny Silverman Gallery Los Angeles
André Simoens Gallery Knokke-Zoute
Fredric Snitzer Gallery Miami
Thomas Solomon Gallery Los Angeles
MARC STRAUS New York
Hollis Taggart Galleries New York
Tandem Press Madison
Paul Thiebaud Gallery San Francisco
Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects New York
Vincent Vallarino New York
Van Doren Waxter New York
Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects Los Angeles
Linda Warren Projects Chicago
Weinstein Gallery Minneapolis
Whitestone Gallery Tokyo
Max Wigram Gallery London
Zolla/Lieberman Gallery Chicago
Pavel Zoubok Gallery New York
David Zwirner Gallery New York | London

EXPOSURE, the section of the fair dedicated to galleries that have been in business seven years or less, allows the opportunity for younger galleries to participate in a major international exposition. Chosen by the 2014 EXPOSURE selection committee comprised of Candice Madey, On Stellar Rays | New York and Jessica Silverman, Jessica Silverman Gallery | San Francisco—who participated in the EXPOSURE section in 2012 and 2013 and have now entered into the main section of the fair—a special presentation of one or two artists by each of the participating galleries provides critical exposure for their programs, offering an important opportunity for curators, collectors and art enthusiasts to survey the best in innovative and emerging work.

[ 2014 EXPOSURE exhibiting galleries includes ] Blackston New York
Bourouina Gallery Berlin
Brand New Gallery Milan
Callicoon Fine Arts New York
Carroll / Fletcher London
Lisa Cooley New York
Ana Cristea Gallery New York
Eleven Rivington New York
James Fuentes New York
Greene Exhibitions Los Angeles
Hannah Hoffman Gallery Los Angeles
Zieher Smith & Horton New York
Charlie James Gallery Los Angeles
Luis De Jesus Los Angeles Los Angeles
Tristian Koenig Melbourne
Josh Lilley London
Longhouse Projects New York
Luce Gallery Italy
Marlborough Chelsea New York
Mihai Nicodim Gallery Los Angeles | Bucharest
On Stellar Rays New York
Romer Young Gallery San Francisco
TIF SIGFRIDS Los Angeles
VAN HORN Düsseldorf
Y Gallery New York

<a href="527-ronscope200about ron kovach

The innovative mac pro.

Aug 27, 2013

macpro2

All the complaints about Apple’s recent failure to produce innovative design has overlooked its cylindrical Mac Pro type Apple tower of power due out this fall.

macpro9

This black volcano of computing centers around fan and air shaft in the middle.

macpro7

With the shell removed it looks a little bit like R2-D2.

macpro6

macpro3

macpro8

macpro5

macpro-hq1

But the black tower also suggests that cylindrical black UFO design of the company’s planned new headquarters by lord Norman Foster. That is not just my impression. Writing from
Mac conference recently Dan Ackerman at Cnet noted “The first view we saw was from the top, where the circular design reminded me of Apple’s planned new UFO-like headquarters.”

Of course the Mac Pro also reminds me of a small black metal wastebasket I had in my office for years. [ mac pro ]

<a href="about phil patton

A conversation with boffi ceo roberto gavazzi.

Apr 4, 2013

Roberto-Gavazzi1xx roberto gavazzi

We’re in the Chicago showroom of Maxalto and talking to Boffi CEO Roberto Gavazzi. Boffi has recently opened a showroom in this space.

[DesignApplause] Roberto the last time I saw you though we didn’t have a chance to talk, was in Boffi’s flagship showroom in Milan during the 2012 design fair. You and Philippe Starck were in animated conversation while looking at a kitchen system.
[Roberto Gavazzi] Phillipe dropped by to look at new products and we were discussing several new techniques incorporated into that particular kitchen system. Boffi sells the kitchens to the best architects and designers worldwide known such as: Philippe Starck, Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel, Patricia Urquiola and, of course, Piero Lissoni. We are particularly proud of this as it means all these important people like Boffi products and choose to buy our systems for their private kitchens/ bathrooms instead of designing a system and asking for a special production on a personalized drawing.

1
aprile kitchen with wood and stainless steel | piero lissoni | click > enlarge

[DA] The ‘Philippe” kitchen in Milan that was in your showroom, did that concept go into production?
[RG] Yes, it’s now in production. It took a few months to be ready because it required a new manufacturing patent: The new material looks like a solid piece of stainless steel, but in reality it’s a sandwich made up of very, very thin slices giving us a lighter material that’s easier to use and bend. Stainless steel can be very heavy and complicated to install. It was difficult and complicated to produce but we’re happy with the end result.

[DA] Let’s talk about the business side. You came to Boffi in 1989. Piero Lissoni came in 1990. Why were you guys brought in and what roles did you play? What roles do you play now?
[RG] Piero Lissoni at that time was already an extremely strategic resource for this company. When I came in 1989, I was completely ignorant in terms of design and manufacturing kitchens. My previous job was in the computer industry in Italy and France. No culture, no knowledge, no real special attitude toward this business.

[DA] Why did they ask you to come on board?
[RG] In reality, they didn’t ask me. I wanted to stop working for large internationals and wanted to become an entrepreneur and so, I started looking for a company that was for sale or that needed a partner to step in and become an industrial entrepreneur. My family has been and still is entrepreneurial in Milan and I inherited this mindset. In my search I found Paolo Boffi and he was looking for a partner in 1989. We quickly understood one another’s desires and wishes. In the end, we made this deal that was an incredibly lucky deal for me. I hope for him also. I think we were very complimentary, especially in the beginning. He was the real creative mind and on my side, I brought a little bit of money and management.

[DA] Were you replacing something or were they trying something new?
[RG] Boffi was a traditional family business. The second generation had three brothers. They had problems and ended up separating. One brother bought from the others. Paolo now owned all the company but wasn’t an experienced manager. He needed someone to help him and needing some more money because he had used all of his to buy the company from his brothers. That was the main reason why he wanted a partner. Paolo proved to be exactly that, a partner. It’s not easy to find an entrepreneur that owns 100% of a family company, and is open to share it with someone else. We really had a very nice time and a lot of fun. Piero Lissoni was also a part of the partnership.

[DA] Are the three of you still doing the same things?
[RG] Yes. At the beginning, we were much younger. Piero was starting his activity as an Art Director. Piero has a unique capacity of fully understanding a company and defining a strategy and pointing you the right direction. He’s always thinking in terms of the whole company and not simply particular products. We’re not fighting one product against another anymore. We’re fighting the concept of one company voice against other company voices. Boffi’s story is about how we produce our products, conceive the collection, the marketing we use, how we distribute in our showrooms. It’s a meaningful and complex integrated message that makes sense, is successful and is liked by our customers.

[DA] I’m thinking about Steve Jobs hiring Paul Rand, the designer of the IBM corporate image. Jobs had just left Apple and was starting a new company, Next. Jobs tells Rand that he believes it takes 10 years and $100,000,000 to evolve an identity into a personality.
[RG] It’s really a long process and these companies are so complicated and sometimes rigid. A kitchen company like ours is one that is far more complicated that any other design industry. We sell products as a system to a high-end sophisticated customer who desires something tailored to their needs. We deliver an impeccable kitchen that will stand in the home for 20-25 years. You’ll have a kitchen in front of you for so long that you can get bored if it’s not exactly what you want.

It’s a business that is relatively rigid for being a retail activity. It’s not an impulse purchase. With a kitchen, it’s a long process that can last months.

[DA] It seems a very tough retail sell. Maybe harder than selling airplanes to corporations. This may not come off well in print but with the kitchen there’ a wife to incorporate into the recipe.
[RG] We see people that enjoy the process of purchasing a kitchen that they may stretch the process longer than needed. The men come back many times with their wives, it’s a joint effort for sure. It’s interesting, the more expensive and complicated, the more the husband gets into it. The men become intrigued by the technicalities.

[DA] We’re evaluating our own kitchen now. We pull our friends, or they pull us into the discussions. The kitchen is 16 years old and not engineered well enough.
[RG] You want to have access to a good product and a professional who can evaluate your needs and explain how and why the product is built the way it is. Satisfaction is extremely important. We devote a tremendous amount of money in our budget to train our people very well. We have a very nice training department in Milan near where the factory is located. It’s 1, 500 square meters where we have all sorts of products.

14
customer training facility

[DA] Are you talking about the Customer Training Facility?
[RG] We train our dealers to be perfectly prepared to face any kind of customer. For example, in Paris, we have a shop there. A woman walks in and asks for our most basic sink. In Paris at this shop, we are selling very elaborate kitchens. Our dealer answers her questions very nicely for one hour. She goes away and comes back one month later with an elaborate kitchen request. We discover this woman is the wife of a very important industrial owner in France. The lady went to every high-end kitchen shop in Paris and asked for a sink from everyone. She then chose the one that answered the questions best for the longest time and said that if the dealer is paying that much attention to her for a sink, she was sure they would deliver a very nice kitchen with perfect customer service.

[DA] We have Boffi in our bathroom, the process was enjoyable and we are far from bored.
[RG] Good to hear, thank you.

[DA] Do you also bring customers in?
[RG] Yes. We like to bring them to the factory. We are very open and like to show the quality of our products. You can feel it when you visit a factory, go around and see how things are done. We encourage our dealers to bring any kind of customer. It’s satisfying to say those who visit our factory, who get involved with the process, pretty much are sold on us.

[DA] Is there a role for design to play in a challenging economy?
[RG] Certainly. Design is a software that adds tremendous obvious and not-so-obvious features to products. Design becomes part of the conversation with some products. When you talk of Apple you invariably talk about design. The design attributes can make an environmental as well as a economic statement. We all notice how more and more cities are having design fairs. No matter the economy. There must be a reason. And there’s growth and awareness now seen in many industries where only fashion and architecture held court.

[DA] How do people find Boffi? Do you feel that Boffi is well represented worldwide?
[RG] We’re in around 55 countries and export 75% of our production so we feel we’re well represented worldwide. And it’s competitive so we are always working to be better. We scrutinize where we go, what’s the best fit for us to open a showroom and assemble a Boffi team. We are working on growing in Asia now.

[DA] Design is making sense of things. Does Boffi frame concepts and products in innovative settings to capture users’ imaginations?
[RG] Most good brands try to sell emotions today. It’s not so easy to do with products like kitchens that also need to be technologically reliable. You cannot exaggerate the design approach forgetting about the rules of the kitchen. Boffi believes the presentation, the passion, the experience of the people presenting is important to adding emotion to the equation. It’s one of the ways to be different from the others. And today’s market is extremely fast. If you have a strong product in your collection, you can quickly find a strong resemblance with the competitors.

17
chicago showroom

[DA] I’ve been to three of your showrooms. This new Chicago store is a bit different than the others, not as much of space. Is the move an experiment in terms of market mix?
[RG] Yes. Here we are using a different formula. In general in larger cities, we have completely monobrand shops were you just sell Boffi, where we try to communicate our professional strength. In this one, it’s a very beautiful space. We share it with B&B Italia and the Maxalto line. It’s a collaboration between 2 brands at the same level that share the same values. They are complimentary products in terms of style. I’m also very good friends with the B&B owners so there’s always a special feeling. This formula can be both efficient and effective, especially when you have showrooms that are a little too big. By sharing it with another company in line with yours it can also have a very interesting co-marketing aspect that has appeal to customers.

[DA] This is a great space. In terms of the product offerings in this showroom, the amount of product on the floor is less than your other showrooms.
[RG] It’s not necessary to show a lot of products. It’s important to show products that reference what you can offer. I feel you can always bring your customer to a bigger show in New York or Italy when they want to buy a kitchen and where they can spend some time. Also, it’s a nice experience for them. We see many of our customers who enjoy visiting our other showrooms in other cities. If you’re able to maintain the same quality of offerings at diverse locations your story is much more compelling.

[DA] Kitchens are not found and sold via your Web site are they?
[RG] You can use the Web site as a brochure to look at this or that. But we really want people to come to our showrooms and be able to touch the product, talk with our people and receive a really tailor-made solution.

[DA] What does sustainability mean to you right now?
[RG] It’s a growing need that we see in everywhere. We see that the public is very interested in it. That’s why we not only want to be in line with the needs of the market, but we feel it is a very important part of our social responsibility. Our lacquer is formulated to be pollution-free. We try to recycle all of our unused materials.

[DA] You have 39 designers. What’s asked of your designers? Do they contribute toward innovation of technology or product meaning?
[RG] Designers are chosen depending on their capacity to deliver something special to Boffi. And their styles are complementary offering up the option of experiencing one complete collection or mixing pieces to make a custom product. Today, we have a core of 5-6 designers. The process of choosing designers is made with Piero Lissoni. Together we choose the designers without really a specific requirement except for their style.

[DA] Is there anything we didn’t cover that you’d like to get into our conversation?
[RG] I would invite everyone that wants to discover Boffi to come our showrooms, to come to Milan. If they want to visit the factory and our showrooms, it’s always a pleasure to have them come. We like to really show what we are. There are no secrets. It’s always an open door for everyone.

1) aprile in wood and stainless steel | piero lissoni
1) aprile in stainless steel | piero lissoni
3) cila in glass | luigi mason
4) k20 in stainless steel | norbert wangen
5) b20 bathroom cabinets | norbert wangen / index mirror | felicia ferrone
6) quadtwo | jeffrey bernett / boccia lamp | piero lissoni
7a) CTline | victor vasilev
7b) CTline | victor vasilev
8) tape shower cubicle | monica armani
9) > 11) milan showroom
12) > 13) apartment installation
14) > 16) customer training facility
17) > 20) chicago showroom

Buckminster fuller & norman foster at design miami 2011.

Dec 13, 2011

architect norman foster

The installation, a Miami Design District Dacra Project with in-kind support from The Buckminster Fuller Institute and Phillips, was on view during Design Miami/ in an open air space at 39th street and 1st Court, Dec 1 – 4, 2011. The exhibition set the stage for further evolution of these ideas and structures and included both the dome and the car; a series of films about Fuller and Foster; and a talk between renowned architect Norman Foster, his wife Elena Foster and W Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Stefano Tonchi, who spoke on Fuller’s influence on their lives and work as part of Design Miami’s Design Talks series.

systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, and futurist buckminister fuller.

The exhibition, Architecting the Future: Buckminster Fuller & Norman Foster conceived and curated by DRDesign and Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Director of The Buckminster Fuller Institute was inspired by the photo of Bucky and the opportunity to ‘re-boot’ history by bringing the car and Foster to the exhibition — to, in the power of a single image, create a convergence of past & present to imagine a new future.

Inspired in part by their decade-long relationship – Foster has brought Fuller’s omni-directional approach, and world-around focus into the 21st century and beyond.The legacies of these two men entwined, set against a backdrop of radical innovation – still way ahead of our time.
 
The Fly’s Eye Dome will be permanently installed nearby in the Miami Design District.

[ About the Fly’s Eye Dome ]
“The Fly’s Eye domes are designed as components of a ‘livingry’ service. The basic hardware components will produce a beautiful, fully equipped, air-deliverable house that weighs and costs about as much as a good automobile. Not only will it be highly efficient in its use of energy and materials, it also will be capable of harvesting incoming light and wind energies.“ – R. Buckminster Fuller

[ About the Dymaxion Car ]
Patented in 1937, and conceived as an ‘omni-directional transport system’, Fuller’s Dymaxion car was intended to fly, jump-jet style, when suitable alloys and engines became available. Three cars were produced in his lifetime. [ design miami/ 2011 ]
 

Apple's mother ship. Steve jobs and mystic shapes.

Jun 17, 2011



“It’s s a little like a spaceship landed,” said Steve Jobs, introducing sketches of his planned new wheel shaped Apple headquarters to the city council of Cupertino, California.

The huge four story mother ship, to be designed by Norman Foster, will ” about 12,000 people and may be open as soon as 2015.

It embodies both the best and worst of Apple culture and, if you will, the Apple cult.

Its environmental credentials seem unimpeachable. The design replaces the scattered buildings on the site formerly occupied by Hewlett Packard and replaces them with below ground parking and a central garden court with plantings. Pavement and building signature is reduced by thirty per cent. Some 6,000 trees are planned for the site. There are already several hundred apricot trees, recalling the earlier use of much of the land in the area for plum, apricot and other fruit orchards.

Spaceship or donut, the shape also recalls a castle. It is self contained, for one thing, able to stand a siege. Jobs said the building will generate its own clean energy with nature gas and use the wider power grid only as backup.

Like so many Apple products, its shape does not allow for expansion or accessorizing. Jobs’ ring is as grandiose as Wagner’s Ring, as fantastic as Tolkien’s. It recalls the torus shaped space station of Wernher Von Braun and Chesley Bonestell’s visions for Disney circa 1955, as reproduced in 2001 A Space Odyssey, slowly rotating to the accompaniment of classical music. It is also a symbol of the bonding offered by the Apple culture: you are either inside the ring or outside, you enjoy bonding with the Apple or you regard it as a bit of a cult.

The Apple ring also resembles the “spy donut” of the Government Communications Headquarters in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, housing the British organization roughly equivalent to the U.S. National Security Agency. That structure, designed by Gensler, has internal courtyards and one way glass.

The record of circular buildings is not good. They tend to be disorienting, difficult places to find your way around in. Consider the Hirshhorn Museum on the National Mall in Washington or all of those John Portman hotels and towers or circular airport terminals where you wander searching for gate 17.

Symbolically, the ring reflects everything that is good and bad about Apple: the boldness and elegance of design on one hand, the limits to functionality and interaction on the other.

Jobs feels he knows already that “there won’t be a straight piece of glass in it” without learning whether that esthetic effect makes practical sense.

Conway’s Law holds that all organizations, especially those that create programs, turn out products that are models of their organizational structure. Apple’s happy feudalist ring contrasts with Microsoft’s giant state university like “campus,” sprawling but semi-permeable. ”

The two old light bulb jokes reflect the extremes of the two cultures: How many Microsofters does it take to change a light bulb? “None. They just declare darkness an industry standard.” For the Apple joke the answer is: ”One, to hold the bulb: the world turns around Apple.” The ring building is a structure that arrays the world around Apple.

The building echoes the ideas behind the product designs. The elegant simplicity of the best of Apple design long predates today’s regime. It was there in the frogdesign years and years when Bob Brunner was running Apple design. The very first Macintosh, remember, was a refreshingly simple single box at a time where personal computers were made of pieces wired together—keyboard, monitor, CPU, disc drive, printer and so on. But often too functionality is sacrificed to style: the lovely thin Air computers are limited in power and memory, the I Pad lacks a USB port, the iphone won’t deal with Flash and so on. [ there’s more ]

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