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Articles by David Congram
Vo Trong Nghia | IndesignLive
This article originally appeared in INDESIGN #90, the ‘City Futures’ issue – get your copy here. Vo Trong Nghia is a renowned meditator. (Of course, he is also a renowned architect (but that’s almost beside the point, maybe even ancillary to it.) At the height of his firm’s distinction, from 2017, he spent three years meditating at Pa Auk Forest Monastery. Upon return, he instituted a studio-wide policy of twice-daily meditations, and frequent 10-day retreats en famille. Most irregular.
Bethan Laura Wood in conversation
Returning from Italy, where new colourway glass works by Bethan Laura Wood were exhibited for Venice Glass Week, David Congram spoke with the designer about her major new works underway in Australia, the importance of travel to her practice, the roles of museums in democratising contemporary design, and finding a new mediation between artisanal craftsmanship and industrial markets. David Congram (DC): Congratulations on receiving the MECCA X NGV Women In Design Commission.
Your Comprehensive Guide To London's Most Stunning Pubs
Pubs are vibrant little pockets of London life, egalitarian places where cross sections of the city come together to briefly escape the mania of the bustling metropolis—so you best believe, here at Urban List, we've gone and done the hard yards for you and knocked back a pint or two to find you the very best London pubs. With more than 3,500 pubs across Greater London, tying one on might seem a little overwhelming for a newtimer.
Discussing free-trade between British and Australia
Creative sectors thriving in post-pandemic economies It’s difficult to overstate present industrial distemper in the United Kingdom. Seasons-long spells of agitation between industry figureheads and union leaderships continue buffeting paramedic, transport and postal services through on-again-off-again stalemates. Teachers are primed for walkouts, care practitioners are striking and the National Health Service remains overburdened, understaffed and, by all accounts, shortchanged.
Watts Up With ADesignStudio’s Alex Fitzpatrick?
Discover how this Australian lighting design studio combines centuries-old craftsmanship with up-to-the-minute cutting edge technology. What is it about lighting that is just so… mystifying? Within design disciplines, lighting design is arguably the most challenging; its technological complexities are possibly the most pronounced; its rate of innovation is easily the most rapid. This unique disposition presumably reflects the profound impact lighting design has upon our lives.
Poodle proves its bark is as good as its bite
When Zoë Rubino and Emilio Scalzo threw open the doors to their aquatinted deco-futurist bar in early 2020, a hot minute passed before they were firmly shut again. Seems a pretty inauspicious omen, as far as grand openings go. But… maybe not?
Poodle Fitzroy Is Best In Show Restaurant by Bergman & Co
Fitzroy’s latest establishment proves that its bark is every bit as good as its bite. When Zoë Rubino and Emilio Scalzo threw open the doors to their aquatinted deco-futurist bar in early 2020, a hot minute passed before they were firmly shut again. Seems a pretty inauspicious omen, as far as grand openings go. But… maybe not?
Archaeology of the Future: Meet architect Tsuyoshi Tane
BY David Congram October 27th, 2020 scci.org.au Tags: SCCI, SCCI Cinephile Hub, Tsuyoshi Tane “There was never a generation like this before”, says Tsuyoshi Tane. Until now, “only a handful would’ve found true globalism.” But for this Paris-based, Tokyo-born architect behind projects in far-flung corners of the Himalayas, France, Japan, Switzerland and Italy (and previously Estonia, Hong Kong, USA, Denmark, Latvia and Norway), “true globalism” is understated.
“We Will Be The Chicken!”: Power to the people of Hong Kong’s design community
In November 2019, violent protests between police and student demonstrators at Hong Kong Polytechnic University saw some 1,500 tear gas canisters fired and more than a thousand demonstrators arrested and/or identified.
“We Will Be The Chicken!”: Power to the People of Hong Kong’s Design Community
In November 2019, violent protests between police and student demonstrators at Hong Kong Polytechnic University saw some 1,500 tear gas canisters fired and more than a thousand demonstrators arrested and/or identified.
Strategic Design and Creating a Sense of Arrival
“You are here.” Perhaps no other sentence better describes the powerful impact of design. The sense of arrival – or, in other words, the first and lasting impression – plays upon our imaginations. It takes bricks and mortar and renders them ephemeral. Eternal. It’s the stuff of memory: of the great chemical rhapsody blending serotonin with adrenalin. The external world dissolves away into the facade of a single building; dissolves further into a foyer; dissolving finally into our physche.
Sebastian Herkner: Reading The Zeitgeist
“When I was a child,” says Sebastian Herkner, “I would travel around Europe with my parents. We would stop at a village, and often this village was dedicated to crafts. This one would be dedicated to ceramics, that one to gloves – and things like that. Even as a little child, I was always interested in the crafts of these places. I think that’s where it all started – my journey into the design world. As far as journeys go, this one is fairly enviable.
“I Couldn’t Believe It. The Pace & Complexity Is Astounding”: Chris Wilkinson On Sydney’s Urban Future
Chris Wilkinson is hugging a column. “I love these,” he tells me in a muffled tone with arms wrapped around the perimeter. We’re standing in the display suite of Crown Residences at One Barangaroo, Sydney’s newly soaring, curved tower. “The columns are a courageous design statement in an otherwise very open and uninterrupted space,” Wilkinson continues. “They’re pure engineering.
So, You Think You Can A+D?
Toward the end of February every year, one of those dime-a-dozen stalwart Manhattanites splashes a forensic obliteration across the front page of The New Yorker. And, every single year, it’s the same – something rather like: “I was compelled to sit through another cavalcade of self-congratulation. It’s simply obscene: all this neediness; all this foolish hullaballoo; this litany of designer brands and flawless dentistry; this monstrous gasconading pageantry”.
Space, Science And Dreams: These Are The Most Intriguing Events At Sydney Design Festival
By David Congram - 20 Feb 2019 Sydney Design Festival is fast approaching, giving us the chance to discover absolutely everything you could ever imagine about the past, present and future of design. That's right, space, science With events dotted all throughout the city – from Parramatta all the way to the CBD – the Sydney Design Festival program is bigger and more inspiring than ever. Here are our top picks that you definitely don’t want to miss this year.
Three cheers For Churchie: How design can support new cognitive behaviours
In the Anglican Church Grammar School – fondly known as Churchie – The Centenary Library stands as the most significant project undertaken in the school’s 106-year history. By Brisbane-based Brand and Slater Architects, The Centenary Library sits alongside the campus’ heritage-protected buildings and reflects the rich educational and architectural legacy this boys’ school has provided for more than a century.
Chin Chin puts punk on a plate | Indesignlive – Connection to design
Personal disclaimer: I was stared down by a gimp in a gas mask during one of the best meals I have ever tasted. For many, such defiant ogling does wonders to kill an appetite. And for many more, digestion is the last thing on the mind when met with all the leather and whips of Tom Of Finland fame.
Welcome to the beyond: EDITION 2018 is here
Magnetic. Galvanizing. Charismatic. Sui Generis. At this point I had to exercise self-restraint. Such a litany of descriptors! I could go on and on. In fact, I could probably go on for an eternity. Such is the difficulty of trying to capture the challenging and yet truly gratifying nature of EDITION.
Shareen Joel On The Future Of Residential Design
Shareen Joel Design is a multidisciplinary studio of interior design, interior architecture and industrial design. Since 2003, the studio has truly pushed the envelope of creative practice across many sectors – including residential. Here we catch up with Shareen Joel, the force behind her eponymous studio, to learn the latest insights transforming design in the home. As a designer, what have you discovered about Zip Water’s range that keeps you turning back to the brand time and again?
Moving beyond the 'workout' into the 'experience'
Remember when your mother said that you’d only get one chance at making the right first impression? Well, she was right. In general, we tend to make a judgement within 9 seconds of encountering something (or someone). So the stakes for the first impression are high. We all know that good design can help to create great first impressions – and first impressions are everlasting. But, within a commercial setting, just how critical is good design’s impact potential?
The Cologne Convo: Australians take over Orgatec 2018
Some 15,000 kilometres separate the Australian design community from its German peers, but for Orgatec 2018 it was clear that this might just be all that separates them. In fact, the longstanding reputation of Germany’s commercial design sector as a world leader has ceded somewhat in our favour.
Architect Ben Van Berkel on the future of architecture and design in education sector
I received a typical education. By this, I don’t mean that I just learned the standard curriculum but, instead, the spaces in which I did so were typical. Traditional. Predictable. From my first day in primary school all the way through to my final university lecture, the rules never changed: a frontal-facing blackboard (remember those?); rows and rows of desks separated individually and stretching interminably behind; a teacher standing at the front of the classroom.
Shareen Joel On The Future Of Residential Design
Shareen Joel Design is a multidisciplinary studio of interior design, interior architecture and industrial design. Since 2003, the studio has truly pushed the envelope of creative practice across many sectors – including residential. Here we catch up with Shareen Joel, the force behind her eponymous studio, to learn the latest insights transforming design in the home. As a designer, what have you discovered about Zip Water’s range that keeps you turning back to the brand time and again?
Be At Home With Boilingpoint By Zip Water: Issue #24 Is Out Now
Since 2002, Boilingpoint Magazine by Zip Water has celebrated the global architecture and design community. In 2017, it returned to investigate today’s A+D. First taking the form of a broadsheet, the magazine became an industry-first innovation that signposted Zip Water’s global achievements and boundary-pushing products.
Be At Home With Boilingpoint By Zip Water: Issue #24 Is Out Now
Since 2002, Boilingpoint Magazine by Zip Water has celebrated the global architecture and design community. In 2017, it returned to investigate today’s A+D. First taking the form of a broadsheet, the magazine became an industry-first innovation that signposted Zip Water’s global achievements and boundary-pushing products.
The evolution of 'modularity': How commercial furniture systems are responding to new professional behaviours
Beset by skyrocketing levels of competition within market shares, the waging skirmishes of the war on talent and the continued rise of insurgent disruptors in every industry, the commercial landscape remains in a state of unease.
Boilingpoint Magazine #24 by Zip Water
To announce the launch of Boilingpoint #24 by Zip Water, we sit down with the brand to learn more about how Zip Water’s HydroTaps are responding to new demands from end users in the residential environment.
University of Canberra
When master planners at the University of Canberra were looking to upgrade their Student Centre – including the refurbishment of a previously unused corridor and café space – they were driven by the desire to create amenities that students and staff would continue to use for years to come. This kind of protracted forward thinking is something that is not alone to the University of Canberra.
Be At Home With Boilingpoint by Zip Water: Issue #24 OUT NOW
Zip Water ranges are being increasingly embraced in residential environments by architects, designers and homeowners. Responding to new user demands in these residential applications, Zip Water’s HydroTaps are now internationally recognised for supporting better health, wellbeing, convenience and amenity – all at the touch of a fingertip.
Have you seen the Habitus Collection Online?
Habitus launches its next initiative for all your design needs – an online directory of the best design in the Asia Pacific region. Announcing the launch of The Habitus Collection Online! At Habitus HQ we’re always thinking about how to support the region’s design hunters. For a decade now, we have celebrated the best in design and architecture throughout the Asia Pacific. And in 2018, we’re launching out next big initiative – The Habitus Collection Online.
Catering for the new age of hospitality design with Zenith
It is fair to say that the hospitality landscape has radically transformed over the last few decades. Just think about it. AirBnB revolutionised the hotel scene. Technology has changed how we order food. And the global economy has brought an explosion of choices for cuisine, accommodation and entertainment to sate our ever-growing appetites.
5 Minutes With… Sean Dix! | Indesignlive.hk
When Sean Dix ventured to New Zealand from Hong Kong for the very first time this month, a particularly vibrant, active and altogether unique design community welcomed him with open arms. Touring the country with Zenith with an itinerary of intimate gatherings in Zenith’s showrooms, Dix shared his latest insights on design in the region.
5 Minutes With… Sean Dix!
When Sean Dix ventured to New Zealand from Hong Kong for the very first time this month, a particularly vibrant, active and altogether unique design community welcomed him with open arms. Touring the country with Zenith with an itinerary of intimate gatherings in Zenith’s showrooms, Dix shared his latest insights on design in the region.
Whoever said that elegance can’t be an everyday affair?
That which is designed with care and curated with loving attention offers a wellspring of inspiration and creativity. This is something that has always inspired the Corian® team. We know the level of delight, inspiration and support that good design lends to our day-to-day.
Design In New Zealand and Asia Pacific
When Sean Dix ventured over to New Zealand from Hong Kong for the very first time this month, a particularly vibrant, active and altogether unique design community welcomed him with open arms. Touring the country with Zenith with an itinerary of intimate gatherings in Zenith’s showrooms, Dix shared his latest insights on design in the region.
Australia’s Design Community Rallies To Help Farmers Suffering From Drought
To date, deficiencies in rainfall through parts of central Australia and far north Queensland continue to desolate our agricultural and livestock industries – not to mention the thousands of communities that rely on these sectors. Of course, extreme weather conditions are nothing new to the Australian way of life.
Heavy-Hitters In The Commercial Ecosystem Applaud FRONT’s First Day In Sydney
Day 1 of the very first FRONT event delivered on its promise: the best in product, the latest in knowledge, the most successful in forging connections. Here’s all you need to know: The inaugural FRONT FORUM presented by 40 leaders in architecture, design, master planning and development proved that Australia continues to be a leader in the world’s commercial landscape. Over 1,300 visitors learned directly from those influencers driving change in our combined endeavours.
FRONT day 1 kicks off and revolutionises commercial design for good
It’s not over yet! FRONT continues until 10 August. Join us tomorrow to be a part of the action, but to catch up on all the happenings for day one, here’s all you need to know: The inaugural FRONT FORUM presented by 40 leaders in architecture, design, master planning and development proved that Australia continues to lead the world’s commercial landscape. Over 1,300 visitors learned directly from those influencers driving change in our combined endeavours.
Zenith celebrates Western Australia's design community
On a recent evening in West Perth, Zenith‘s showroom brought the city’s underground design community to life. Literally, that is: Zenith‘s Perth home nestles into the sub-basement space of a former chocolate and confectionary factory in inner city and brings a much-needed sense of vitality to a previously under-utilised space.
How modular furniture is redefining today's commercial environments
Commercial projects continue to be the main driver of growth in the Australian construction industry. According to the Australian Performance of Construction Index in March 2018, commercial construction expanded to 65.0 points in the overall combined industries’ performance indices matrix, the highest recorded level since the survey’s inception in 2005.
5 Minutes With … Benjamin Hubert Of LAYER
When Benjamin Hubert first put pencil to paper for what would later become AXYL, his design intent was clear. The founder of industrial design heavyweight LAYER, Hubert sought to create a range of flexible, affordable café furniture with a sleek 'international' feel and a strong focus on sustainability, longevity, and robustness. From this kernel of an idea burst forth a collection of furniture made from recycled and reclaimed materials that together amount to far more than the sum of their parts.
5 Minutes With … Benjamin Hubert Of LAYER
When Benjamin Hubert first put pencil to paper for what would later become AXYL, his design intent was clear. The founder of industrial design heavyweight LAYER, Hubert sought to create a range of flexible, affordable café furniture with a sleek ‘international’ feel and a strong focus on sustainability, longevity, and robustness. From this kernel of an idea burst forth a collection of furniture made from recycled and reclaimed materials that together amount to far more than the sum of their parts.
anew frontier in substance, style and sustainability
When Benjamin Hubert first put pencil to paper for what would later become AXYL, his design intent was clear. The founder of industrial design heavyweight LAYER, Hubert sought to create a range of flexible, affordable café furniture with a sleek “international” feel and a strong focus on sustainability, longevity, and robustness. From this kernel of an idea burst forth a collection of furniture made from recycled and reclaimed materials that together amount to far more than the sum of their parts.
Australia's best bathroom is in this Sydney girls school
If you haven’t already noticed, today’s bathrooms are so much more than a functional space. “A tired and even unpleasant bathroom environment can make or break a company’s reputation,” says Total Facilities’ Event Manager, Andrew Lawson. “Our awards were established to encourage awareness and pride among Australia’s facilities and workplace management professionals.
FRONT Is Coming! If You Work In The Commercial Sector, Take Note
The commercial building sector needs leaders. And we believe that is YOU. In a volatile landscape where commercial architects, designers, construction experts, developers, commercial services and real estate providers are experiencing a level of demand that is hitherto unmatched, NOW is the time for you to make a difference and find your place in the new commercial building ecosystem. Coming to Carriageworks in Sydney this 9-10 August, FRONT is a first in Australia.
If You Work In The Commercial Sector, You Need To Know About FRONT!
The commercial building sector needs leaders. And we believe that is YOU. In a volatile landscape where commercial architects, designers, construction experts, developers, commercial services and real estate providers are experiencing a level of demand that is hitherto unmatched, NOW is the time for you to make a difference and find your place in the new commercial building ecosystem. Coming to Carriageworks in Sydney this 9-10 August, FRONT is a first in Australia.
The Colourist Manifesto: Three Lessons I Learned From Giulio Ridolfo
A spectre is haunting design – the spectre of monochrome. Across our homes and offices, restaurants and hotels, black and white is the new black (as it were), and with its ongoing preeminence, we appear to have become oddly suspicious of one of our most vital of design principles: colour. For some, this predilection for the unabashedly neutral heralds a new form of sophistication.
Wilkhahn and COR Team Up To Revolutionise The Commercial Interior
Here’s what we all know: commercial interiors have become agile and adaptable, evolving into multi-dimensional and multi-functional spaces with more flexibility than ever before. Under new demands – from commercial clients, their employees, and a host of new standards certifications – the A+D world is being tasked with catering for diverse interactions and holistic experiences.
Wilkhahn and COR Team Up To Revolutionise The Commercial Interior
Here’s what we all know: commercial interiors have become agile and adaptable, evolving into multi-dimensional and multi-functional spaces with more flexibility than ever before. Under new demands – from commercial clients, their employees, and a host of new standards certifications – the A+D world is being tasked with catering for diverse interactions and holistic experiences.
Wilkhahn and COR team up to revolutionise the commercial interior
Here’s what we all know: commercial interiors have become agile and adaptable, evolving into multi-dimensional and multi-functional spaces with more flexibility than ever before. Under new demands – from commercial clients, their employees, and a host of new standards certifications – the A+D world is being tasked with catering for diverse interactions and holistic experiences.
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