Kengo Kuma – Starbucks

Individually is not something you would usually associate with a large multi-national. However Starbucks is starting to understand that to stay at the top of their game they need to embrace the unique and bring back the ‘local coffee shop’ vibe.

Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the building is made of 2,000 stick-like parts in the sizes of 1.3m – 4m length and 6cm section. The walls’ covering is a striking departure from the company’s typical uninspired interiors a major departure from the cookie-cutter stores around the world.

To begin with, the location of this Starbucks is somewhat unusual, as it stands on the main approach to the Dazaifu Tenmangu, a major shrines in Japan. Established in 919 A.D., the shrine receives about 2 million visitors a year. Along the main path to the shrine, there are traditional Japanese buildings in one or two stories. The project aimed to make a structure that harmonizes with such townscape, using a unique system of weaving thin woods diagonally.

Last year, Starbucks opened its first concept shop in Amsterdam (The Bank), to showcase its slow-brew coffee, local craftsmanship, and eco-friendly furnishings. According to The New York Times, Starbucks is investing millions in making over hundreds of its stores in France to appeal to coffee aficionados who favor the personalized atmosphere of cafés.

Good Vibrations Storage Unit - Ferruccio Laviani

This is not a distorted image. Playing with the viewer, Good Vibrations Storage Unit by Ferruccio Laviani combines contemporary and classical, whilst referencing to the digital, when creating his distorted piece of cabinetry. Laviani designed this piece for furniture brand Fratelli Boffi, known for their avant-garde approach to classical forms within furniture. Laviani is part of a generation of young Italian designers who came to prominence in the early 1990's when the Memphis movement made its mark on international design.

The Good Vibrations storage unit was carved from oak using a CNC machine. The success of this extraordinary piece of furniture lies in its ability to question classical stylistic principles such as purity, cleanness and symmetry, while evoking a comforting feeling of deja-vù, matched by unquestionable craftsmanship. Good Vibrations is another addition to the so-called New Aesthetic, a favorite art movement of Internet philosophers characterised by themes of hacking and general digital malfunction as well as stressing the material and physical processes in the making of visual art, Laviani wanted to challenge the idea that glitches are solely found online, blending the virtual and the physical.

Laviani's piece will be displayed at the Salone del Mobile in Milan from 9 to 14 April next month. More examples of Laviani's work can be found on his website.

The Kukje Gallery - SO-IL

Our look into contemporary art spaces continues by looking at SO-IL's, recently completed the Kukje Gallery. Set amongst the historic neighborhood of Samcheong-ro in Seoul, South Korea. The Kukje Gallery serves as a bridge between Korea and the broader contemporary art world. It’s introduced Seoul to the work of prominent cutting-edge artists such as Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as promoting local artists. Set in a neighbourhood where courtyard homes are prevalent, the gallery is the latest of several art outlets, boutique shops, and cafes that have united the local area.

Its versatility and modern minimalist elegance lies in its architectural simplicity. The galleries exterior is draped in a veil of mesh consisting of 510,000 stainless-steel links. The building contains gallery spaces, a 60-seat auditorium and project spaces. The form of the building is organic, sitting on a carpet of vegetation, planted at its base.

Historically, chainmail mesh was used as armor, tightly wrapping the human body. Originating in Central Asia, chainmail has been globally used because of its unique characteristics, rigid yet flexibility, due to the way the interlinking rings. These combined qualities offer the possibility to create a strong skin that can adapt itself to the contour of any individual body and shape. These qualities form to create its sleek minimal exterior. The veil creates an indefinable exterior that changes appearance as visitors move through the site. Producing a layer of diffusion around the buildings structure, through a combination of reflections, openness and pattern produced through the interplay of shadows.

Exterior facade and cladding material choices are beginning to become more experimental and playful in its aesthetic qualities when creating modern contemporary architecture. The selection of unique and unusual materials and finishes are able to transform the visual relationship and connection individuals will have with a building, as well as providing individuality and character.