Month: October 2024

In Delirious New York, Rem Koolhaas vividly discusses the Downtown Athletic Club, a striking example of how an unassuming building exterior can conceal a vibrant mix of distinct, self-contained programs. Inside the uniform facade of this skyscraper, a private athletic club hosts an eclectic range of facilities—boxing gyms next to oyster bars and interior golf ranges below swimming pools—all segregated yet highly accessible. The Downtown Athletic Club epitomized the dynamism of New York’s skyscrapers at the time, showcasing the thrill of capitalism through a selective, inward-focused world of leisure and privilege for the selected. This “machine of programs” operated independently of the external city as an isolated ecosystem within its walls. Yet, one might ask: could a similar model, designed for public use, create a more inclusive, lively community and neighborhood experience? This will activate the building within, instead of only serving the selected elites, and influence and transform the urban fabric and shapes around the building. In Hong Kong, a distant parallel can be drawn with the Municipal Services Buildings (MSBs)—publicly-funded structures that serve the community by integrating diverse functions within a singular vast building mass, much like the Downtown Athletic Club.

The project is located near Lake Orta, inside the headquarters of the QuadroDesign faucet company; our intervention involved the design of open spaces and the recovery of an old electrical cabin present inside the property and represents the second step of work, following the restyling of the offices and showroom, which took place in 2022.

Lonavla, a hill station in the Sahyadris, is the nearest and most popular weekend retreat for the residents of Bombay. Its natural topography, cooler+drier climate, verdant landscapes, and history (Ancient forts + Buddhist cave temples) have attracted uncontrolled development leading to a substantial erosion of the character that defined it.

Nowadays, diversity and inclusion stand as fundamental pillars in the design of spaces, guiding the creation of structures that adapt to the needs of all individuals. This comprehensive approach addresses the functionality of buildings aiming to transform every aspect of design, promoting accessibility from scratch. A key milestone in this matter was the establishment of legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the US. This document established a legal framework to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities and set a precedent for promoting the design of public spaces and services that are accessible to all.

This is an interior design project for a part of the newly constructed 5-story high-rise residential building (approx. 2220 m²) with a roof terrace of approximately 570 m².

the home consists of two distinct buildings — a nine-story ‘tower’ and a ‘summer house’ — that together create a cohesive living space.
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The Gallery House by Ben Hudson Architects has been designed to reflect the people who live here, each space telling a story. In this residence, the warmth and richness of timber combine with a palette of neutral whites and the raw beauty of polished concrete to create a series of layered interiors and intimate, gallery-like spaces that showcase the owners’ passion for art and sculpture.