SEP
If you are reading this you have probably never heard of a “ghettoblaster” or a “boombox” – whatever they were, they went out of fashion years ago.
But one thing that will always stay in fashion is the Party Girl, and as every young man imagines, there is something interesting in her clutch bag! Read more
JUN
Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate Modern in London, defined art as existing solely for its own purpose. I paraphrase slightly as I do not remember the exact quotation, but the point is his definition suggests art is not there to sell stuff.
I invite you to consider Serota’s notion in the form of this clothes boutique in Montreal, Canada. The space was designed by Saucier + Perrotte Architect and is a refurbishment of some old warehouse space. In that sense it is unremarkable and similar retail environments can be seen in edgy, fashionable districts of London, Berlin and New York. But taken as a whole the the project aims to draw in the work of various artists treating the store as an art space.
It is selling, there is no doubt about that, but is it art? Read more
JUN
The carpark is fantastic, but that was designed by Herzog & de Meuron. On this occasion it is the glass boutique designed by Rene Gonzalez that has been inserted into the filth floor of the carpark that is of particular interest. One reason to linger on this project is because it suggests a far longer term perspective for the design of buildings. At some point thousands of carparks that have headrooms of less than 2m will have to be demolished if, and lets be optimistic, the current love affair with cars sours as a result of their environmental impact. Designing carparks that can be adapted to different uses and will therefore have an afterlife, is not just sensible, but an altogether positive thing.
This design however does not rely on common sense but rather exuberant design that made it the winner of the 2011 National AIA Institute Honor Award, and a 2012 AZ award winner.
