Coverings 2012 Trends

This year's show featured lots of products in various shades of whites and neutrals, across multiple textures and shapes. High gloss, sparkling white tile was peppered throughout the show floor, but most tiles in the lighter color family featured whites that mimic shades found in nature.

"Architectural spaces are moving to multi-hued, tonal spaces, particularly in retail and cultural projects," said tile specialist Ryan Fasan at the Tile of Spain press conference, connecting the trend to fashion forecasts indicating moonstone as the next big influence.

On the floor, we found plenty of examples:

B Side from Refin takes the mesh pattern usually found on the back side of a mosaic sheet and uses glazing and negative space to create texture.

 

Etic by Atlas Concorde follows the wood trend in a white washed beech look. The textured offering boasts a COF of 0.8 for commercial areas with high traffic like ramps.

Convivium by ABK comes in lighter shades of pressed concrete looks, with subtle geometric floral patterns.

Nova Hex by Bella Vita Tile features positive and negative beveling in elongated hexagons for  wall applications.

Tune Out (left) and Tune In (right) by Lea Ceramiche can be configured in any variation of concave and convex patterns.

Coverings 2012

Coverings 2012 showcased the best in tile, represented by more than 50 countries. Many of the collections were new for the show and exemplified a trend of stylish neutrals, particularly in multi-hued whites and shades of black that complement accent colors like oranges and blues.

Apavisa's commercial porcelain with a three-dimensional bend, acheived in the kiln.

New at Coverings 2012 is Etic from Atlas Concorde, which comes in concrete and tile looks as well as this worn wood. 

Maison from Bedrosian's Tile and Stone is made from natural marble. Random sizing in the diplay installation increases the appearance of natural variation.

Pulsar from Mosaico+ features convex tiles so tightly connected that it does not require grouting.

Part of the Roverto Cavalli collection from Ricchetti. This pattern features white leopard spots on an ivory background, and is also available in black and gray.

This metallic glazed brick from Seneca is a modern twist on a classic building material shape.

Onice from Tau is a white onyx look that can be polished to a higher shine than the authentic stone.

 

Contract Visits InterfaceFLOR

Contract Editor in Chief John Czarnecki visited the operation at InterfaceFLOR's headquarters and factory in LaGrange, Georgia, in early April. Here, he learned of new initiatives for the manufacturer of modular carpet, and met with John Wells, president and CEO; John Bradford, chief innovations officer; Peter Greene, vice president of marketing; Jennifer Busch, vice president of market development (and former Contract editor in chief); and Mindy O'Gara, director of product styling.

 

Editor in Chief John Czarnecki, at the entrance of InterfaceFLOR's headquarters.

InterfaceFLOR's Mindy O'Gara, director of product styling, shows two options in the company's relatively new hospitality offerings.

Workers inspect newly created carpet.

 

The past and present of Contract: Editor in Chief John Czarnecki (right) sits down with InterfaceFLOR's Jennifer Busch, vice president of A&D market development and former editor in chief of Contract.

 

InterfaceFLOR's Peter Greene (left), vice president of marketing, and David Oakey (right) in Oakey's design studio. Oakey, who designs all InterfaceFLOR carpet, shared his design philosophy and insights on the evolution of InterfaceFLOR as a manufacturer of carpet primarily produced from recycled products.

 

Inside Oakey's studio (above), a carpet in the foreground beautifully corresponds to the natural surroundings outside. Oakey recently designed this carpet, inspired by an illustration he had produced when he was 18.

 

Czarnecki (above) inside InterfaceFlor's recycling facility. The stacks of carpet tiles are all used carpet, and will all be recycled to eventually produce new product.

Carpet in the making from Contract Magazine on Vimeo.

 

 

Flos flips the switch on architectural lighting

A recent preview of Flos' architectural lighting, including pieces from the Soft Architecture collection, and a tour with Flos CEO Jan Vingerhoets gave us a sneak peek at some of the company's new lines, as well as some great applications for Flos products with which we are already familiar.

The new Light Cut was displayed in a retail vignette, replacing the standard hanging overhead fluorescents with minimalistic sophistication.

This vignette features some great Flos fixtures, including D'E-Light, Light Spring, and USO.

You may recognize Light Spring from the November/December 2011 issue of Contract, a modern take on the classic candelabra.

 

CEO Jan Vingerhoets explains the installation process of USO and how specifiers can achieve the seamless look for soft, ethereal light.

Also featured was D'E-light, seen recently in Contract's March issue. The task light—adjustable to three settings with the touch of a hand—also charges Apple products, such as the iPad shown above.

Wallrupture was another stand-out product that afternoon, with its intriguing light source and natural, golden glow.       

Wallcrevice's seamless application is user friendly during the installation process—once the installer is familiar with the process, it can be installed quickly and easily, Vingerhoets says—as well as after. Maximum efficiency LED bulbs have a life-span guarantee of five years.

A cross-section of Wallrupture reveals the inner-Earth glow actually comes from gold leaf paint, which garnered the most positive responses of any color treatment during development, Vingerhoets says.

 

 

Save a Sample! connects students, designers, and manufacturers through social and environmental action

In the past, it took a village to raise a child. Today it takes a community to develop a well-rounded designer. At least, that is the sense you get from Suzanne Swift, founder of Save a Sample!, as she describes how the materials drive-turned-competition has been benefitting under-funded design programs and over stocked product libraries for the last decade.

Save a Sample! spawned when Swift developed Spec Simple, a customized electronic product library. While cataloging, she witnessed firsthand the volume of materials A&D firms were collecting. "Starting in the recession of the early '90s, [we saw] firms still needed current, new products and library spaces maintained," she tells Contract. But what of the older samples? As both a social and environmental effort, she conceived a donation drive that resulted in a second life in design education for all the samples that might otherwise end up in a landfill.

So far Save a Sample! is hosted in New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., with plans to expand to Los Angeles and San Francisco. New Haven, Seattle, and Kansas City are also vying to be added to the participant list. "We even got a request to come to Mexico City," says Jessica Garcia-Fritz, Save a Sample! coordinator.
 
A little healthy competition among participating firms has generated excitement: Design firms are angling to out-donate each other and other cities. Last year at Chicago’s second Save a Sample! event, a designer claimed Chicago would eventually draw a greater crowd than New York, which is where the program started. “It becomes very personal, and those of us who went to design school remember how limited our [library] resources were,” Swift explains. “People become very connected to this cause.”
 
Today Save a Sample! is a three-day collection event where firms can donate up to 15 copy paper–sized boxes of material samples to be delivered to participating design schools. "Some schools have no financing for library resources, so this is their single source. Some don't have libraries at all, so this is a good way to bring that to them," Swift says. And manufacturers—such as Knoll, Herman Miller, and Benjamin Moore—are getting in on the action by helping facilitate the events. This year's national Gold sponsor is Wilsonart and the national Silver sponsor is Formica.

A new component for the students is a Hand Drawing Competition. “Technology that increases the speed with which students—and professionals—design benefits the future of design,” Swift says. “However, technology that allows students to realize and communicate their work quickly fails to educate them on how things go together, producing an incomplete designer.” The hope is for hand drawing and physical samples to acquaint students with the tangible environments they create. Swift agrees technology has enabled the construction of buildings that could not have been built otherwise, but it is ultimately a tool. “While technology can make a good designer better, it won’t make a bad designer great and there are skills, like hand drawing, which teach young designers important design concepts that they cannot learn from technology alone.”

 
Associates from participating firms serve as judges for the drawing competition in each city. “As a sketching person, it was wonderful to see and judge a competition for what seems to be a dying art in our business,” says Renaldo Pesson, IIDA, principal and director of interior architecture for HOK Healthcare. “We witness a diverse variety of styles and approaches and it was relieving to observe once again talent as opposed to skill.”
 
Pick-ups across the five participating cities will take place from April 3 to 5. This year’s national celebration event will take place on April 26.

Photo: Hyeonjung Lee from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology won the 2011 Hand Drawing Competition with this submission

Allsteel New York Resource Center Celebrated with Reception

In February, Allsteel Inc. celebrated a new location at 79 Madison Avenue with a lively reception for nearly 400 guests. Jeff Lorenger, president of Allsteel, welcomed guests to the new space, which is about twice as large as Allsteel’s previous New York location and showcases the company's workplace furnishings in a variety of configurations. The party included live music performed by a six-member band with vocalists.

In a design led by John Mulling, senior associate at Gensler, the new Allsteel New York Resource Center capitalizes on stunning views of the Empire State Building as well as a wide swath of downtown. A New York theme is incorporated throughout the space architecturally and graphically, with pops of magenta enlivening the urban interior palette of charcoal, black, and white.

 

 

From left to right: John Mulling, senior associate at Gensler; John Czarnecki, editor in chief of Contract; Jeff Lorenger, president of Allsteel

 

From Contract magazine: Managing Editor Sheila Kim (left) and Associate Editor Emily Hooper

 

From HOK, left to right: Blll Jenkins, Erika Reuther, and May Julsuwan

 

Some of the spaces within the new Allsteel New York Resource Center:

 

Social Media by Design: A Q&A with Architect Lira Luis

The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) hosted its 15th Industry Roundtable from January 6 to 8, in part exploring social media’s role as it affects designers, architects, and manufacturers from some of the most present brands in the design community. Although a White Paper on the event won’t be available until next month, Contract had the chance to speak with Lira Luis, one of the panel speakers at the two-part discussion “Work: Who, Where, How. The Intersection of Culture, Workplace, and Social Media,” that looked at how social media is changing the way the A&D industry conducts business.


How has social media changed your definition of “work”?

Lira Luis: Social media—whether I’m designing a core and shell building or an interior space—has enhanced my work as an architect; I see it as a tool. For example, in a recent restaurant project, I was in search of consultants to work with, so I reached out to people in my social media network for recommendations, particularly on LinkedIn. I also ask colleagues about their experiences with specific manufacturers when searching for products to specify.

How has it changed your work environment?

Luis: The work environment has become more and more collaborative. The experience of one colleague becomes the shared experience of others in the profession from which we can all learn.

Has social media changed how you relate to clients? Manufacturers? Brands?

Luis: Yes. What I normally look for when I select products/manufacturers, aside from quality, are experiences dealing with them. I ask questions like, “Will this manufacturer help make it easier to accomplish the design objective?” Or “Will this manufacturer or brand cause delays on the project?” Then I look to SoMe [social media] for those kinds of experiences to be translated, like how responsive they would be to my questions [from their level of interaction].

As far as clients, or potential ones, I find that if you add value to connecting, more often than not it results in project leads. Sometimes it may not be directly with the person, but it will be someone from his or her own network. It's like the online version of word-of-mouth marketing.

Has it solved design-related problems you had experienced in the past?

Luis: It doesn't directly solve design related problems, but it does add another platform to make communication lines accessible to everyone in a project team.

Has social media created any problems in your work?

Luis: While SoMe has enabled the ability to constantly be in touch with others more than ever, this has become a double-edged sword. I find that if we rely solely on this type of platform for communication where body language is absent, it can lead to miscommunication.

Do you have any advice for designers looking to use social media to their advantage?

Luis: It can be a very useful tool for designers or it can be a tool for wasting a lot of time. Knowing what you want to get out of social media from the beginning is key.

Lira Luis, AIA, RIBA, NCARB, UAP, LEED AP BD+C, is a global American architect specializing in organic architecture and is the founder of Atelier Lira Luis, LLC. To learn more about her work visit liraluis.com.

MoMA PS1 Gets Geodesic Dome

Though I haven’t been to MoMA PS1’s Warm Up concert series in eons, I always look forward to the courtyard installations that form the backdrop for the concerts. Every year MoMA’s Young Architects Program challenges up-and-comers to design these temporary installations, and the winning proposal gets built for the enjoyment of the concertgoers and museum visitors alike. The YAP pavilions are just as much a draw as the Warm Up parties themselves, and never fail to spark dialogue—whether for good or bad—amongst the contemporary art and design enthusiasts. But come wintertime, when the installations are taken down, PS1 appears rather desolate. So the announcement of a new performance dome in the courtyard has peaked my interest and got me wondering if this will become the counterpoint to PS1’s summer installation.

I won’t know until this weekend, when the new dome opens, beginning with the launch of Sunday Sessions performances on February 5. Programming details are yet to be announced, but what is known is that PS1 intends to utilize the space for a variety of programming that goes beyond performance—think sound, music, and light installations, as well as lectures. Geodesic in form, the performance dome is sponsored by Volkswagen, who partnered with MoMA and MoMA PS1 as of last year to expand programming at both venues. I’m excited about this, but I’ll have to report back after I’ve attended at least a few of the Sunday Sessions at the performance dome!

Find out more about Sunday Sessions at the MoMA PS1 Performance Dome here: http://momaps1.org/calendar/.

Photo by Erin Kornfeld/Erica Leone/elkstudios.com.

Eames Documentary: A Must-See

If you’ve ever wondered about the personal and professional partnership between the brilliant Charles and Ray Eames, there’s a documentary film currently playing in select theaters about the Eameses that might be for you--it certainly was for me. Recently, Herman Miller invited a large group of designers, architects, press, and friends to a special screening of “Eames: The Architect and the Painter” at New York’s IFC Center, and the audience, myself included, responded with enthusiastic applause at the end of the show.

Produced by Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey, the doc gives glimpses into the personal lives (and sometimes troubled marriage) of the couple, but mostly focuses on each of their idiosyncrasies and eye for things, and how those informed their work and collaboration. In short, the film is about a true partnership, where each individual brought something to the table that, when combined, often culminated in artistic genius. This wasn’t just about their molded plywood chair for Herman Miller, their landmarked house in California, or the playful patterns of Ray’s textiles. The film offers insight into their context and times, and their idealistic view that modern design could act as a catalyst for social change.

That ideal went beyond design: Charles and Ray delved into other creative disciplines such as photography and film. Notably, their “Glimpses of the USA,” characterized by information overload, was a powerful cinematic centerpiece at an exhibition in Moscow in 1959. Shown on seven screens, the film visually communicated to the Russian public and government what everyday American life was like in that era--a precursor, perhaps, to today’s communication arts, once again demonstrating the Eames’s genius.

I worried at first when I saw actor James Franco’s name appear in the opening credits, as I don’t really think of his voice and inflection as the “documentary type.” However, I was pleasantly surprised with his narration, which didn’t distract me at all. The more powerful sound-bytes, though, were the firsthand accounts and quips by designers who worked at the Eames Office, the couple’s grandson Eames Demetrios, and other friends and acquaintances. Their reminiscing and interjections often brought laughter, tears, smiles, and contemplation to the faces of most of us in the audience that evening. One of the interviewees, for instance, recalls how dinner at the Eames house was followed by a beautifully composed floral arrangement as “dessert” for the guests, and he humorously (with an expletive) described how ticked off he was because he had been famished that day!

Though the people interviewed for the documentary offered great perspective on the couple, the film’s imagery of the Eames’s work, archival scenes from the maddening spectacle of the Eames Office, and personal letters and doodles speak even louder of their brilliance and creative process. And observations on their personal lives and relationship, though fascinating to me, seemed more like a side note in this production. Ultimately, I thought the film was excellently done and could appeal equally to design gurus and the uninformed. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s not seen it. The theaters currently screening Eames are located across the country, so chances are it might be at a theater near you. View the dates and locations here: www.firstrunfeatures.com/eames_playdates.html.

If you can’t make it to a theater, you can also look out for the DVD, which supposedly comes out just a few weeks from now, just in time for the holidays.

Images from top: Charles and Ray Eames posing on a Velocette motorcycle, 1948. The DCW molded plywood dining chair, 1946. Ray and Charles Eames examining the sling locations to be covered by fabric lapping in a prototype of the Aluminum Group lounge chair, 1957. All images Copyright 2011 Eames Office, LLC.

Clark Art Institute's Expansion in Final Phase

A few weeks ago, the Clark Art Institute held a press breakfast here in New York announcing the final phase of its expansion project. Admittedly, I’ve never made the trek up to the Berkshires, where the museum is situated, but I am surely tempted now. The Clark’s project brings together three major names of the architecture world: Pritzker Prize–winning Tadao Ando, Annabelle Selldorf, and landscape architect Reed Hilderbrand. The expansion isn’t due for completion for another two years, but until then, the institute has offered a preview of what these powerhouses are doing for the campus.

Osaka-based Ando is behind the new Visitor, Exhibition, and Conference Center, which will become the new main entrance and, thus, the first visitor encounter. Key design highlights include a light-filled glass concourse connecting the original museum to the new center; a massive reflecting pool (designed with Hilderbrand); a cafe/dining zones; and a multipurpose pavilion for installations or special events.

At first glance, one might find the minimalist center to be too simple or ordinary, but when I look back at Ando’s previous works (e.g. Water Temple and Church of Light, both in Japan), I’m reminded of Louis Kahn, whose Philips Exeter Academy library in New Hampshire alerted me to the fact that there was such a thing as “architecture” in my teenage years. Works such as these are all cerebral to me, as compositions one needs to experience first-hand to be stirred and moved. My hope is that, when viewing the new center and its reflecting pool, it’ll be as contemplative and spiritual an experience.

Selldorf is perhaps best known around here as the architect who gorgeously updated the Neue Galerie, as well as created the library-chic aesthetic of Abercrombie & Fitch stores that continue to pack in young fashionista crowds. Her role in this expansion is a renovation of the original museum building that will add more than 5,400 square feet of gallery space.

Here she’s showing some restraint so as to not disrupt the Clark’s original atmosphere. Of note will be new galleries for decorative arts that will offer intimate scale and residential-like finishes that complement decorative objects and furnishings. Selldorf is also leading the renovation of the institute’s Manton Research Center, a 1970’s structure that houses a library and administrative offices; her design will add a public courtyard-style reading room, bookstore, and coffee bar.

Hilderbrand’s plan for the 140-acre campus calls for a sweeping landscape design that’s environmentally sensitive. The main attraction will be the tiered reflecting pool, done in collaboration with Ando, which can be crossed via footbridge. The pool also acts as a reservoir, harvesting stormwater for reuse in plumbing and irrigation. Two miles of walking trails will provide greater and managed access to the site’s meadows, woodlands, and streams, and trail markers will inform visitors of the area’s geological features or conservation initiatives.

All images courtesy of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

World Monuments Watch List 2012 Released

There may be debate in our industry on whether to preserve a landmark or to rebuild or redevelop it. For me personally, it's a gray area where some structures and sites are worth saving and some are not. But I'd have to applaud the World Monuments Fund on their preservation efforts through their biennial endangered-site list (the 2012 list was released just this month). While the organization was founded in the 1960's, it didn't launch the World Monuments Watch list until 1996, so the public was largely unaware of these culturally significant sites that were, in some cases quite literally, crumbling to the ground.

What particularly draws me to the organization is that oftentimes the endangered sites aren't limited to, say, the Saarinen masterpiece in a major metropolis or a Wright house in the Midwest. Rather, it might be a temple sinking into waters off of Southeast Asia, the ruins of an ancient Mesopotamian court, a district of historic houses in the U.S. hit by hurricane, or a once grand European cathedral that's now seeing its end of days. More often, the WMF has kept its eye on international sites that aren't in danger of being pushed out by a new shopping center or condominium, but by the elements, economic hardship, or even civil or governmental change. Moreover, to the WMF, it's not just about saving a site from decay or destruction--it's about restoring heritage and reconnecting people to place. Indeed, some of these places are the very fabric or identity of a culture.

If you're like me, you're no Bill Gates or Martha Stewart when it comes to funds. But, we can still do our part to help preserve these sites whether it's through getting the word out to increase public awareness, or making a small donation to the fund. (85 percent of the WMF's revenue goes to preservation projects, fieldwork, advocacy, and educational programs.) To view the 67 sites listed for 2012, a slideshow of the sites, or more information on the organization and donating, visit www.wmf.org.

Images, from top: Wangduechhoeling Palace in Bhutan; Cour Royale de Tiebele in Burkina Faso; painting the earthen walls of Cour Royale de Tiebele. Images courtesy of the World Monuments Fund.