gid 6th issue

58 GID REGIONAL FOCUS AUTHENTICITY IN DESIGN From intricate works of art,

emphasizing the beauty of handcrafting, to the use of specific styles of Arabic calligraphy called ‘kufic’, with an artistic fusion of traditional and modern, Hosamma, the brains behind brand Etqaan, has carved a niche in authentic Egyptian heritage furniture.

64 EXPAT HOME MUSE AND MEMORIES Artist and sculptor Jacinthe

Lamontagne-Lecomte’s cozy living room teams with an arresting assortment of curios – some amassed during her extensive travels and many crafted by her own hands.

16 GID ANTIQUITY LOVE TO HATE Six leading architects defend the

world’s most hated buildings – from London to Orange County.

32 DECONSTRUCT LIVABLE LUXURY A little classic, modern and eclectic,

with teal coloured walls conjuring a sense of luxury and elements adding to the glam factor, this arrangement from IKEA is an example of how you can make your living area look opulent yet affordable.

AUGUST 30, 2015

THE CURIOUS COLLECTION IN JACINTHE LAMONTAGNE-LECOMTE’S HOME. PAGE 64

PAGE 64

COVER IMAGECOURTESY: ETQAAN.

24 GID NEOTERIC BUILDINGS OF THE YEAR An iceberg-inspired housing

complex in Denmark, a floating style courthouse in Doha, orchid shaped entertainment arenas in Singapore and personalised penthouses with stunning views in Vancouver, this year’s shortlists for the World Building of the Year award are awe-inspiring and nothing less than spectacular.

46 THE MASTERMIND BETWEEN TRANSPARENCY AND

OPACITY The corridor of Hamad International

Airport terminal is one of the longest secure glass corridors in the world - 5.5 kilometers made with 170,000 sq. ft of glass. We chat with the creators Joel Berman Glass Studios about the construction of this glass feat.

60 GID GLAMOUR THE MARKET UNDER SPOTLIGHT Was there anything that needed a

refurb at the W? Definitely not, we would all agree, but when it comes to design, W has always has an edge and with the refurbishment of the Market by Jean-Georges, it sets to prove it yet again.

30 THE THING THE CLOSE-TO-PERFECT CHAIR Armen Sevada’s limited edition

Maximillian Chair is the result of seven years of design innovation, and is constructed of mirror-finish stainless steel; available in a range of luxury fabrics.

38 THE FOCUS “DESIGN IS ALL ABOUT THE SENSES” Vibrant, intelligent and drop-dead

gorgeous, Bianca Angelo could as well model for the stores she designs. The Design Manger of South African firm Quanto Bello Qatar, she tells us how the firm is making a mark in the country and outside it too.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:THE W DESIGNS, JOEL BERMAN STUDIO GLASS CREATIONS, QUANTO BELLO QATAR’S PROJECT AND ETQAAN DESIGNS.

GLAM INTERIORS & DESIGN IS PUBLISHED BY ORYX ADVERTISING CO. WLL.The contents of this publication are subject to copyright and cannot be reproduced without the express permis-sion of the publisher and/or license holder. All rights rest with Datalog media solutions. The publisher does not

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MANAGING EDITOR SINDHU NAIR

FASHION EDITOR DEBRINA ALIYAH

DEPUTY EDITORS EZDHAR IBRAHIM ALI

SRINIVASAN V L

SENIOR CORRESPONDENTS AYSWARYA MURTHY

ABIGAIL MATHIAS

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT AARTHI MOHAN

PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT ALTAMIRANO

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR VENKAT REDDY

DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR HANAN ABU SIAM

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR AYUSH INDRAJITH

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER MAHESHWAR REDDY B

BUSINESS HEAD FREDRICK ALPHONSO

MANAGER – MARKETING SAKALA A DEBRASS

ASSISTANT MANAGER – MARKETING HASSAN REKKAB

MATHEWS CHERIAN

SONY VELLATT

IRFAAN A H M

SENIOR MEDIA CONSULTANT DENZITA SEQUEIRA

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT PRATAP CHANDRAN

SENIOR DISTRIBUTION EXECUTIVE BIKRAM SHRESTHA

DISTRIBUTION SUPPORT ARJUN TIMILSINA

BHIMAL RAI

BASANTHA P

PUBLISHER AND EDITOR–IN–CHIEF YOUSUF JASSEM AL DARWISH

CHIEF EXECUTIVE SANDEEP SEHGAL

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT ALPANA ROY

IN THE PROCESS OF GOING FROM JUST ONE PROMINENT STRUCTURE ON THE CORNICHE (THE SHERATON HOTEL) TO A WEST BAY CROWDED WITH GLASS-CLAD, SKYWARD-BOUND BUILDINGS, DOHA HAS BECOME A TOP DESTINATION FOR ARCHITECTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

If you want to see your designs take form before your eyes, and at breakneck speed, Doha is your haven; this is the general consensus among developers as well as architects. In which other country can you see educational institutions as expansive, as thoughtfully and artfully crafted, like in Qatar? Arata Isozaki must have let his creative spirits out on a rampage while conceiving the master plan for Education City, with the institutions sprawled out on the desert land. But falling in step behind these master craftsmen are small but equally influential architects and interior designers who work to perfect the designs of these masters or craft projects on a much smaller scale, that are equally awe-inspiring.

From the old Qatar Foundation HQ to the interiors of retail spaces, the stamp of Qatari architects is already on the country. Glam Interiors and Design has focused in this issue on one such design and fit-out firm based in the country - Quanta Bello.

With our first anniversary at hand, Glam Interiors and Design wants to go a step further and honour these architects and designers in the country through a dedicated ceremony. Glam Interiors and Designers is calling out for design submissions to help us evaluate the projects and find designs that are exemplary in execution and projects that outshine the rest. Helping us will be a jury, with representatives from the education sector, contractors and developers. As the magazine hits the stands, we launch this design competition, with a shout out to all the architects and interior designers in the country. Send in your submissions and help encourage the Qatar’s creative vibes.

SINDHU NAIR

FROM THE DRAWING BOARD

10 GLAM INTERIORS + DESIGN

“Simple geometry tells you that’s a circle. But a circle is the worst shape for wind engineering because no matter which way the wind blows the building feels the same force. So the inside is a circle, the outside is a triangle. A triangle is not a really great shape for wind, but a twisted triangle is very good .The idea was to do something very simple and repetitive—a series of stacked cylindrical volumes that get smaller as they go up—and make the image taper with this outer skin.”

Marshall Strabala The architect of the Shanghai Tower, which will soon become the tallest building in China—second worldwide only to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

GID GRAPEVINE

The global search for the designer of the Art Mill in Doha, which is envisioned as one of the world’s leading cultural centres, is gathering momentum as Qatar Museums has announced twenty-six architects from a long list of 489 entries, who have progressed to the second stage of the three-stage competition.

Renowned Qatari firm Arab Engineering Bureau, whose architectural projects in Qatar include the HSBC Headquarters, Barwa Headquarters and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, are among other competitors from countries including Spain, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and Canada that will go forward to the

second stage of the design competition. The project involves the redevelopment of a historic waterfront site in the centre of Doha, at the heart of an emerging cultural quarter of the city. The Art Mill is conceived as a vibrant and multi-layered civic and cultural presence and a focus for the emerging campus of museums and cultural institutions at the eastern end of the Corniche. Currently occupied by Qatar Flour Mills, the site extends into Doha Bay, with the Arabian Sea on three sides. It adjoins the park around I.M. Pei’s Museum of Islamic Art, and is close to key landmarks, including the Corniche and Jean Nouvel’s forthcoming National Museum of Qatar (under construction).

ART MILL ADVANCES TO THE SECOND STAGE

Jean Nouvel’s National Museum of Qatar is asking for ideas for its new logo and branding as part of a nationwide competition to encourage public involvement in design.

All Qatari nationals over the age of 18 will be able to enter before the building in Doha opens next year. Qatar Museums describes the move as a chance to “leave your mark on a national icon”. The submitted designs judged by a panel which will include senior executive members of the group. The winning suggestion will be announced on September 29, 2015, and the museum’s design agency Pentagram will oversee its transformation into what it calls “a workable visual identity”.

NEW BRANDING

FOR NMQ


MUSEUM ON THE

MOUNTAINSMessner Mountain Museum Corones is a museum built into the side of a mountain in South Tyrol, Italy. This museum is the final installment in a series of six mountain-top museums conceived by Reinhold Messner, the first climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.

Designed by the Iraqi-British designer and architect, Zaha Hadid, it is located in the heart of the popular Kronplatz ski resort. The museum has been built into the side of the mountain, emerging only at certain points to offer spectacular views. Four thousand cubic metres of earth were removed to make way for the structure, and then placed back on the top once completed.

China will soon finish construction on what will be the world’s tallest and longest glass pedestrian bridge. Floating 300 meters above a canyon in the Zhangjiajie National Park, this bridge will be 380 meters long, six meters wide and feature a transparent glass floor.

Designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge was designed to be as invisible as possible, with a white bridge disappearing into the clouds. The bridge will comprise two side steel beams, a structural glass deck, handrails and side suspension cables, with a capacity to hold up to 800 people at a time. The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge will also contain a bungee jumping spot and will be used as a runway for fashion shows.

IKEALAUNCHES

NEW CATALOGUE

IKEA, the Swedish furniture retailer and a member of the

Al Futtaim group of companies, launched its annual catalogue at a media event hosted at its store in

Doha Festival City. It is the 65th edition of the global

IKEA Catalogue and the theme for this year is Food. The catalogue celebrates life in and around the kitchen with the aim of bringing

people together through everyday enjoyable moments of preparing a

meal and eating together. To reinforce the new theme over the next year, the catalogue focuses on

four main initiatives such as “Growing and Producing”, “Cooking and

Preparing”, “Eating, Drinking and Serving” and

“Storing and Handling”. Each of these topics enables

a healthier and more sustainable way of life and helps people create special moments of togetherness

while doing what they love.

WORLD’S LONGEST AND HIGHEST GLASS-BOTTOM BRIDGE

GID GRAPEVINE


Honeywell, a leading manufacturer of heating, ventilating and air conditioning controls, has launched the VisionPRO 8000 thermostat exclusive for mosques.

Mosques often house large and open interior spaces, meaning they are energy-intensive to cool. Therefore, ensuring a comfortable yet energ- efficient environment five times a day during prayer time is a challenge across the Middle East. Honeywell’s VisionPRO 8000 thermostat comes with a GPS-enabled call-to-prayer feature called “auto azan” which detects prayer times according to the mosque’s location and automatically lowers temperatures during crowded times, while saving energy when the building is unoccupied.

With over 5,000 mosques across the UAE alone, this thermostat for mosques has the potential to save enormous amounts of energy annually. The solution has successfully completed its pilot testing phase in the UAE over the last twelve months, delivering energy savings and improving comfort levels for worshippers.

The company is also currently planning on commencing new pilot projects with mosques across key cities in the Middle East. For long-term efficiency of the thermostat, its system software and programs can easily be upgraded using SD cards, which will come in handy during special occasions, such as Ramadan and Eid, to accommodate extra prayer timings.

Ideal Standard, a design-driven bathroom solutions company, has unveiled the latest standout development for its collection.

Tonic II is a new total bathroom solution with contemporary ceramics, fittings, furniture and bathtubs created by German design studio, ARTEFAKT. With soft geometric design, Tonic II’s clean, beautiful lines aim at creating a serene feeling, transporting you from today’s hectic lifestyle to true relaxation.

GID GRAPEVINE

INNOVATIVE DESIGN

FORM AND FUNCTION


GID GRAPEVINE

RE-IMAGINING_

TAXIS

RETRO RIDEWith bright, pop art-inspired upholstry, the iconic Mumbai taxis are being brought into the new age.

GLAM INTERIORS + DESIGN 17

Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the team behind the Taxi Fabric project is turning their dream of beautifying transportation through design into a reality.

As one of the most convenient forms of transport, taxi cars have become a significant social and cultural aspect of daily life in Mumbai. With the funds collected through their Kickstarter, a group of emerging Indian designers will show off their talent and storytelling skills by illustrating a design, printing it onto fabric, stitching upholstery and seat covers, and fitting the sheets onto these taxis. Taxi Fabric has started connecting designers with taxi drivers, turning seat covers into canvasses for young Indian designers to show off their design talent and storytelling skills. Each taxi is fitted with an identity label which tells anyone who rides in the taxi about the designer behind the taxi’s fabric, the story of the design and also how to get in contact with them for collaborations or commissions. The team plans to outfit up to thirty taxis with colourful and creative compositions, printed onto fabric that lines the interiors of the entire car.

THE MOBILE PORTFOLIOEach taxi is fitted with an identity label which tells anyone who rides in the taxi about the designer behind the taxi’s fabric.


SIXLEADING

ARCHITECTSDEFEND

THE WORLD’SMOST

HATEDBUILDINGS

AS TOLD TO ALEXANDRA LANGE

PICTURES : SHUTTERSTOCKCOPYRIGHT ©2015 THE NEW YORK TIMES

GID ANTIQUITY


‘‘It’s legendary for being the most hated building in Paris. I want to

defend it not because it’s a particularly beautiful tower, but because of the idea it

represents. Parisians panicked when they saw it, and when they abandoned the tower they also

abandoned the idea of a high-density sustainable city. Because they exiled

all future high rises to some far neighborhood like La Défense, they were

segregating growth. Parisians reacted aesthetically, as they are wont to do, but they failed to consider the consequences

of what it means to be a vital, living city versus a museum city. People

sentimentalize their notions of the city, but with the carbon footprint, the waste

of resources, our shrinking capacity, we have no choice but to build good

high-rise buildings that are affordable. It’s not by coincidence that people are going to London now not just for work but for the available space. No young

company can afford Paris. Maybe Tour Montparnasse is not a work of

genius, but it signified a notion of what the city of the future will have to be.’’

When the nearly 700-foot Tour Montparnasse was completed in 1973, it was considered such a blight on Paris’s historic skyline that the city instated height restrictions on all future buildings. The office tower, designed by Eugène Beaudouin, Urbain Cassan and Louis Hoym de Marien, is the rare destination from which tourists can view the city unmolested by its own dark, Modernist presence.

DANIEL LIBESKINDON THE TOUR MONTPARNASSE, PARIS


Paul Rudolph’s Brutalist government building from 1970 was already dilapidated when Hurricane Irene dealt it further damage in 2011. Since then, many have argued that, with its more than 80 roofs and scores of boxy windows, the structure is an eyesore and a financial drain. It is one State Supreme Court ruling away from being partially demolished.

‘‘The 1960s were a remarkable moment of social reform. The ideas of change, liberation and freedom were critical. Now people think public

buildings should be more flowery, but these were times when people did tough projects. The complex is arranged as a sequence of interconnected

indoor and outdoor public spaces that flow into each other. There is an integrity within the design that displays a commitment to engagement and

connectivity. As a center for civic governance, it enacted democracy through spatial integration, not through the separation of elected representatives

from their constituents. Many similar projects around the world have also suffered neglect; yet sensitive renovation and new programming reveal a profound lightness and generosity, creating exciting and popular spaces

where people can connect. Rudolph’s work is pure, but the beauty is in its austerity. There are no additions to make it polite or cute. It is what it is.’’

ZAHA HADID ON THE ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER, GOSHEN, N.Y.

PICTURES : ORANGE COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER

GID ANTIQUITY

COPYRIGHT ©2015 THE NEW YORK TIMES


When Harrison & Abramovitz’s massive government plaza opened in 1976, The New York Times called it ‘‘a grandiose, utter folly’’ whose ‘‘powerful sense of place . . . appears to be more the planet Krypton than the capital of the state of New York.’’ Locals — 9,000 of whom were displaced for the construction via eminent domain — saw it as a $2 billion monument to former Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s ego.

‘‘Against my better judgment, I like this complex. It’s sculptural, architectural abstraction to the extreme. At a distance, the scale of the skyline

exudes a sense of identity and strength for Albany, while at the pedestrian level the Plaza plays an important role in the community. I know that others find it too brutal or forbidding, but I think it’s beautiful in its monumentality and starkness.

Monumentality always suggests supreme power, and that’s scary. I somehow think that if you could populate the Plaza with more gardens, and make it feel more

part of everyday life — which they’ve tried to do with farmers’ markets and using the basin for ice skating — then it wouldn’t feel so hostile. Ultimately it has to do with the

sense of feeling included and welcome. When life is allowed to enter, it makes a space feel alive. Then it becomes an outlet for the expression of our

democratic values of assembly and freedom of speech.’’

ANNABELLE SELLDORFON THE EMPIRE STATE PLAZA, ALBANY


‘‘If somebody put this complex in front of me right now without adding any context, any history, I would consider it a really strong piece of architecture. They are iconic buildings that embed the Modernist idea of the right to a home — a home for

everyone. At the time it was conceived, the complex was very positive, optimistic and progressive. It embodies the idea of the megastructure as the mechanism that can

solve the pressing problem of overpopulation and saturation of the city center. The urban planning for the development of the area also testifies to that optimism,

with all the roads named after leftist, Socialist or Marxist Italian figures. The interior courtyard and shape of the sail combines the most humble and lively moment of

Naples life — the vicolo (narrow street) — with the city’s opulent iconography of the water. But the complex was cursed. It wasn’t built as specified; value-engineering changed the structure and reduced the interior courtyards, therefore limiting the amount of light. None of the planned public spaces, amenities, schools or offices were ever constructed. The buildings were squatted even before completion. The

Camorra installed gates and blocked the police from entering. For me it is important to recognize that the Vele is not a failure of the architecture, but rather a failure in

execution and management. Demolition is often an attempt to sweep things under the carpet, and that doesn’t seem like the right way to learn from the past.’’

ADA TOLLA, LOT-EK CO-FOUNDER ON VELE DI SCAMPIA, NAPLES, ITALY

Built between 1962 and 1975 as a self-sufficient ‘‘megastructure,’’ Franz di Salvo’s Modernist housing complex was doomed almost from the beginning. The buildings fell to squatters following the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, and in 2014 achieved new notoriety as the backdrop for the Italian television crime drama ‘‘Gomorrah,’’ a sort of Neapolitan version of ‘‘The Wire.’’

PICTURES : SHUTTERSTOCK

GID ANTIQUITY

COPYRIGHT ©2015 THE NEW YORK TIMES


Connections to Hitler, who expanded the complex in the 1930s in an effort to create a ‘‘world airport’’ for his future capital, have long cast a pall over Tempelhof. Closed to air traffic in 2008, the space has since been redeveloped as a public park and cultural site.

‘‘Tempelhof is one of the really great buildings of the modern age, and yet it is inevitable that it is not necessarily celebrated by everyone. Its architect, Ernst

Sagebiel, studied under the Jewish master Erich Mendelsohn but later served the Nazis. It was adjacent to a concentration camp that held journalists, politicians,

Jews and other so-called ‘undesirables,’ so it is redolent with all the most negative associations. Like a pendulum, it served the purposes of the fascist regime and

then became a lifeline with the airlifts of 1948 and 1949 that delivered food to the people of West Berlin. The airport is full of contradictions and paradoxes. It has

an austere facade, which is not so fascist, and could almost appear in Sweden. The back is a sweeping, cantilevered curve. It soars. If you were transported there and were to walk under that cantilever, you would be awestruck. The architecture is heroic, not in a pompous, empty, vacuous sense, but as engineering that really

lifts the spirit. Monuments, if you trace their ancestry, can reveal disturbing things about the past. Nonetheless, they have enduring qualities which, viewed

on their own merits, are perhaps an example to us.’’

NORMAN FOSTER ON TEMPELHOF AIRPORT, BERLIN


‘‘What fascinates me is that in its time the BT Tower was a building that

was entirely about its function as a telecommunications tower: Its purpose

was its height. Now, without the satellite dishes, that purpose is redundant. It’s

lost a lot of its visual and symbolic power. I was 10 when it was finished in 1965 and

it was the tallest building in London for many years. It was a marker of arrival

if you were coming from the north. That, in the context of London’s skyline

now, is extraordinary. It was the first building with an observation deck —

that way of engaging with the city was actually pioneered by the tower. It had

a restaurant that wasn’t particularly expensive. High rises today are about exploiting the skyline for private gain.

But Londoners are capable of being nostalgic too: We have a power station

that is now a modern art gallery. I wonder if the satellites and antennae shouldn’t

be reinstated to communicate its purpose as an enduring symbol of the moment

in the 1960s when technology propelled Britain onto the international stage. It’s a reminder. It holds so much meaning in an

elegant slender cylinder.’’Built in the early 1960s to house equipment for Britain’s nascent telecommunications network, Eric Bedford and G.R. Yeats’s tower was stripped of its antennae in 2011. It was once known for its observation deck and revolving restaurant, both of which were closed to the public in the early ’80s.

AMANDA LEVETE ON THE BT TOWER, LONDON

GID ANTIQUITY

PICTURES : SHUTTERSTOCKCOPYRIGHT ©2015 THE NEW YORK TIMES


AN ICEBERG-INSPIRED HOUSING COMPLEX IN DENMARK, A “FLOATING” COURTHOUSE IN DOHA, ORCHID-SHAPED ENTERTAINMENT ARENAS IN SINGAPORE AND PERSONALISED PENTHOUSES WITH STUNNING VIEWS IN VANCOUVER, THIS YEAR’S SHORTLISTS FOR THE WORLD BUILDING OF THE YEAR AWARD ARE AWE-INSPIRING AND NOTHING LESS THAN SPECTACULAR.

WITH OVER 3,000 BUILDINGS IN THE RUNNING FOR THE AWARDS THIS YEAR, THE WORLD ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL 2015 HAS SHORTLISTED 338 ENTRIES FROM 46 COUNTRIES, WITH DESIGNS RANGING FROM RESIDENTIAL AND HOUSING TO EDUCATIONAL AND RELIGIOUSBY MAJOR INTERNATIONAL FIRMSAS WELL AS ESTABLISHED REGIONAL STUDIOS.

GID FOCUSES ON A FEW OF THE SHORTLISTED PROJECTS.

GID NEOTERIC

BUILDINGS

OF THE


D O H A C O U RT H O U S E

Institutional buildings need to embody the ideals and value system of any given society. Based on the core principles of order, structure, law and justice, Spain and Kuwait-based AGi

architects have developed a proposal for a new ‘floating’ courthouse in Doha. The building is designed on two basic grids that are site driven, one linking it to its immediate context and

the second to the larger context of Doha. These grids create a number of structural and spatial possibilities that make the building stand out visually. The project includes a vertical structure

which will occupy only forty percent of the site. The architects will expand the ground level across the entirety of the site, creating a public plaza and altering the proportion of the building. Floating above the plaza is the main structure carrying the central courtrooms, which signifies

that the law is above everyone. The plaza acts as a threshold between society and the justice system, making the courthouse an open and welcoming building. The floating structure serves

as a literal and figurative canopy. The geometry of the floating structure ensures that there is ample light that fills the plaza, making the building feel lighter. At night, the interplay between

the volumes themselves makes the building visually striking.


S O L A R O R C H I D

Singapore was built on an intimate relationship with water, which for years has been an artery of its culture, commerce and recreation. However, in recent decades, urban development, industrialisation and land

reclamation have severed this relationship, eliminating most from the coast, inland water bodies and sea. In light of the conceptual and visionary architecture and drawing inspiration from the city, its culture and

heritage, SPARK Architects have proposed a design for an entertainment arena called the Solar Orchid. This concept consists of self-contained, solar-powered, floating hawker pods which will help mend the now-distant

relationship between Singapore and its waterscapes while celebrating a local pastime. The project imagines a mobile, reconfigurable and sustainable floating hawker centre that could pop up in various locations and

formats. Each pod accommodates cooking stalls (incorporating built-in exhaust, water, gas, electrical, waste collection and water recycling services) as well as table settings. The protective canopy is an energy-generating

inflated ETFE pillow which includes thin-film photovoltaic cells. The Solar Orchids can be clustered together in various formations to create hawker centres which can respond to different locations and conditions. They

would leave no trace of their presence due to their self-contained nature. “The idea of reinventing the hawker centre grew from a widely documented observation that the popularity

of the traditional hawker lifestyle has begun to wane. We seek to re-energise this typology while retaining the soul of a very Singaporean dining experience. We have a duty as designers to develop ideas and visions that can enhance our cities, as well as contribute to making them more liveable,” says Stephen Pimbley. SPARK’s Solar

Orchid reflects on changing social, cultural and environmental conditions and concerns.

GID NEOTERIC


I C E B E R G

JDS and Aarhus-based CEBRA, in collaboration with the Dutch firm SeARCH and French architect Louis Paillard, have proposed to build a 25,000 sqm housing complex in the new Aarhus Docklands development. Shortlisted under the housing category, the Iceberg is an initiative to contribute to the overall development of the city. One-third of the project will be set aside as affordable rental housing and will aim at integrating a diverse social profile into the new neighbourhood development. Over 200 apartments will be located within the

four L-shaped wings of the complex, including two-storey townhouses in the lower levels and penthouses on the uppermost floors. This form, in turn, provides an opportunity to use a variety of different apartment types in the development, attracting different types of people to form a

cohesive community. In order to obtain optimal daylight conditions and views over the bay, the building volumes are cut up by jagged lines. The roofs rise and fall into peaks and valleys, which

create visual corridors between buildings so that even the back wing’s residents can enjoy the view. The Iceberg is among the first projects to be started in an area that on completion will be home to 7,000 inhabitants and will provide 12,000 workplaces. Its total site area of 800,000

sqm makes it one of Europe’s largest harbourfront city developments. The area is intended to become a living city quarter, comprised of a multitude of cultural and social activities, a

number of workplaces and a diverse array of housing types.


VA N C O U V E R H O U S E

Perched ideally between the seawall-ringed inner harbour of False Creek and the wide open vistas across English Bay to the Gulf Islands and the Pacific Ocean, Vancouver House, created by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), is a residential tower which will become a gateway to the city of

Vancouver, joining the skyline as its fourth tallest building. The site is trisected by the Granville overpass leaving the complex divided by the adjacent elevated highway. A slender base forms the

nine-storey podium which vertically widens into a 600 unit residential tower. Three triangular complexes are composed of spaces for working, shopping and leisure which can be accessible through public plazas and pathways. The additional public space gives the neighbourhood an

option of an open or covered outdoor space. This building will give a new perspective to penthouse living. The penthouses offer breathtaking views and incredible roof terraces. Owners are given

the option to personalise their house on-site in New York. They will be able to work with renowned architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) to select the finishes which will result in one-off creations

tailored to individual desires and tastes. These penthouses offer residents the ability to take full advantage of living on top of one of Vancouver’s tallest residential towers.

GID NEOTERIC


L E A R N I N G H U B

The Learning Hub at Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore), Designed by Heatherwick Studio and executed by lead architect CPG Consultants, is a new educational landmark for Singapore. As part of NTUís re-development plan for their campus, this will be a new multi-use building for its 33,000 students. Instead of the traditional format of an educational building, its unique design is suited to contemporary ways of learning. The

Learning Hub is envisioned to be a place where students and professors from various disciplines could meet and interact with one other. The outcome is a structure that interweaves both social and learning spaces to create a

dynamic environment more conducive to casual interaction. Twelve towers, each a stack of rounded tutorial rooms taper inwards at their base around a generous public central atrium to provide fifty-six tutorial rooms without corners or obvious fronts or backs. The new-generation smart classrooms are conceived by NTU and promote

more interactive small group teaching and active learning. The flexible format of the rooms allows professors to configure them to better engage with their students and for students to more easily collaborate with each other.

The rooms then open onto the shared circulation space around the atrium, interspersed with open spaces and informal garden terraces. The sixty one angled concrete columns have a distinctive undulating texture developed specially for the project. The curved facade panels are cast with a unique horizontal pattern, made with ten cost-efficient adjustable silicone moulds, to create a complex three-dimensional texture. The buildingís open atrium

is naturally ventilated, maximising air circulation around the towers of tutorial rooms. Each room is cooled using silent convection, which does away with the need for energy-heavy air conditioning fans. The Learning Hub

reasserts the role of an educational building in the 21st century. It will no longer be a place for traditional classroom teaching but a space for collaborative learning in a technology-rich setting.


THE THING

THE CLOSE TO _PERFECT CHAIR

Each piece is welded from stainless steel sheets that are cut with laser precision, and the chair’s [hollow] structure is meticulously designed like a building, with a solid cast appearance.

The Maximillian Chair represents Sevada’s dedication, commitment and pursuit for perfection in proportion as well as craftsmanship. Armen Sevada Gharabegian is an industrial designer based in Los Angeles and is the founder and principal designer of Lounge22, a modern furniture design and fabrication company, as well as the founder and CEO of Ethos Design, a production company involved in global exhibits and events worldwide.

“Fine-tuning a timeless chair that needed to be built like a watch was perhaps the hardest part of the process,” says Sevada. “My goal is to design objects that are timeless and complete in and of themselves. For me, this is the true test of sustainability: designs that are not governed by style or frivolous form. I wanted to create an object that for me embodied meticulous attention to design proportion and craftsmanship. I wanted to create something that could be as close to a “perfect” chair as possible.”

A limited quantity of 100 chairs is available worldwide, each with a numbered plaque and certificate of authenticity, priced at $25,000. The chair is manufactured in Los Angeles, handcrafted meticulously by expert artisans and designed to withstand the effects of moisture, and will not rust or tarnish.

ARMEN SEVADA’S LIMITED EDITION MAXIMILLIAN CHAIR IS THE RESULT OF SEVEN YEARS OF DESIGN INNOVATION, AND IS CONSTRUCTED OF MIRROR-FINISH STAINLESS STEEL; AVAILABLE IN A RANGE OF LUXURY FABRICS.


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GID DECONSTRUCT


1. EKÅS LAMP SHADE, BLACK - QR40.00 2. KLABB TABLE LAMP, OFF-WHITE - QR145.003. RÅDVIKEN ARMCHAIR, DARK BROWN, BLACK

- QR595 4. ALSEDA STOOL, BANANA FIBRE - 115.00 5. STOCKHOLM COFFEE TABLE, WALNUT

VENEER - QR925.006. VEJMON SIDE TABLE, BIRCH VENEER -

QR3957. GÅSER RUG, HIGH PILE, BEIGE - QR6458. STOCKHOLM CUSHION, WHITE, DOTTED

BROWN - QR659. PJÄTTERYD PICTURE, ZEBRA - QR175 10. STOCKHOLM BOWL, BROWN - QR125 11. BETEENDE VASE, BLACK - QR95 12. SKIMMER. BLOCK CANDLE HOLDER, GLASS,

SILVER - QR49

(ALL PRODUCTS ARE FROM IKEA, THE LOOK IS CREATED BY IKEA INTERIOR DESIGNER, KATHLEEN VALERIE CRUZ)

LIVABLE LUXURY

A LITTLE CLASSIC, MODERN AND ECLECTIC, WITH TEAL-COLOURED WALLS CONJURING A SENSE OF LUXURY AND ELEMENTS ADDING TO THE GLAM FACTOR, THIS ARRANGEMENT FROM IKEA IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU CAN MAKE YOUR LIVING AREA LOOK OPULENT YET AFFORDABLE.

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THE MIX

IT CAN BE SIMPLE, ELEGANT, QUIRKY OR EDGY; ADDING AN INTERESTING LIGHT FEATURE TO YOUR

INTERIORS CAN ENHANCE THE AMBIANCE OF AN ENTIRE HOME. FROM FUNCTIONAL DESIGNS TO STAND-OUT PIECES, HERE ARE A FEW ACCENTS

THAT WILL ADD CHARACTER TO YOUR INTERIORS.

R AW E D G E

Fitted against a textured concrete wall and a mirror with worn-out frame, this brewery

table lamp from Midas gives the perfect grunge look for your interiors.

RU S T I C F E E L

Crafted with naturally woven jute rope, this nautical- inspired piece from Midas

is sure to add inviting warmth to any space they adorn. QR805

O L D -WO R L D E L E G A N C E

Add a little urban flair to your space with this industrial-

inspired floor lamp from Midas.

BO L D S TAT E M E N T

This steampunk lamp is an interesting and functional

piece of industrial art from Midas. QR490

P E R F E C T AC C E N T

A stunning addition to any room, this lamp from Midas is sure to

add a unique charm to your space. QR910

I N D U S T R I A L C H I C

Turn a simple light switch into an eye-catching work of mechanical art with this

creative piece from Midas. QR1935

V I N TAG E - I N S P I R E D

With a filament bulb that gives it a vintage feel, this lamp from Midas is sure to be an object of interest on

any desk. QR570


U LT R A G L A M

A starburst of light, this rustic chandelier from Midas evokes a mid-century modern

look with all-natural rope crafted in creative twists giving it a nautical edge. QR2,040

F U N C T I O N A L A N D D E C O R AT I V E

Make your home a perfect amalgamation of functionality and style with this decorative

lamp from Apollo Furniture. QR1,745

M O D E R N S I M P L I C I T Y

Create texture and elegance with the rows of natural wood that accent the full-length shade of this soft, chic floor lamp

from Apollo Furniture. QR1,500

T I M E L E S S C H A R M

Durable and chic, this art nouveau-inspired lamp from Al Huzaifa

Furniture adds an avant-garde charm to any living space. QR1,240

A B I T O F C U LT U R E

A piece of cultural significance and elegance, this lamp from Al Huzaifa Furniture’s lighting collection adds just the right

amount of panache to any modern setting. QR3,330

F I N I S H E D LO O K

This floor lamp from Apollo Furniture features an eco-

friendly design that brings subtle refinement to a classic design

N AT U R E LO V E

Handcrafted in hammered patinated brass and designed to recreate the sunbeams that pierce the density of

forests, the Tree Branches wall lamp by INSIDHERLAND is a truly unique piece.


GID MIX

S P R E A D IT OUT

Animal print inspired or cool casual table setting? Get set to

spruce up your dining room decor.

You can mix, match and mingle them with coordinating

solid colours and create a luxurious table setting. Add

opulent prints and spruce up your dining experience with this bold animal print tableware from The One.

P L AY W I T H PAT T E R N S

◊ Cher Vase - QR83◊ Enlai Tumbler - QR18◊ Enlai Hiball Glass - QR20◊ Enlai Champagne Glass - QR26◊ Alena Cutlery, gold - QR105◊ Dome Napkin Ring, copper/gold - QR30◊ Tiger Soup Plate - QR41

◊ Tiger Dinner Plate - QR51◊ Tiger Charger Plate - QR105◊ Tiger Tea Cup and Saucer - QR51◊ Vanilla Amber Candle, gold - QR41◊ Zebra Place Mat - QR59◊ Herring Napkin - QR16◊ Magnolia Stem - QR30


Neon hues paired with neutrals create a playful and energetic colour palette

for a table setting. Whether you’re throwing a backyard bash or a supper gathering, from fancy serving platters

to table confetti and eye-catching centerpieces, this fun collection of

tableware from Home Center is ideal for dining al fresco this summer.

C O O L C A S U A L

◊ Cotton Flowers in Frame, with fragrance oil - QR39◊ Essentials Scented Glass Jar Candle - QR15◊ Eclectic Round Lantern, dark cerulean - QR15◊ Boho Tray, blue - QR79◊ Goblet, with straw - QR17◊ Flute Glass Canister - QR15 ◊ New Surf Table Knife - QR19◊ New Surf Table Fork - QR15◊ Eden Dinner Set, 30 pieces - QR359

◊ Pomenade Napkin - QR15◊ Pomenade Napkin Ring - QR12◊ Pisa Line Hiball, red/yellow/turquoise - QR35◊ Pomenade Ribbed Placemat - QR15◊ Pomenade Runner - QR39◊ Pomenade Breadbasket - QR19◊ Rigo Decorated Bottle, 1 litre - QR12


“DESIGNIS ALL

ABOUT

THE SENSES”

VIBRANT, INTELLIGENT AND DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS, BIANCA ANGELO COULD AS WELL

MODEL FOR THE STORES SHE DESIGNS. THE DESIGN MANAGER OF QUANTO BELLO QATAR,

A FIRM THAT ORIGINATED IN SOUTH AFRICA, ANGELO TELLS US HOW THE FIRM IS MAKING A MARK IN THE COUNTRY AND OUTSIDE IT TOO.

BY SINDHU NAIR

BEAUTY AND BRAINSAbove: Bianca Angelo, Design Manager of Quanto Bello Qatar poses for us outside her own firm’s offices.

GID FOCUS


Interior Designer Bianca Angelo is a perfectionist. Right from the clothes she wears, to the look she needs to perfect, to the location for the photoshoot – everything is preplanned for the shoot she carefully oversees and directs.

That she is a fashion designer is evident in her choice of attire; crisp black tailored suits for the business-focused shoots where she explains the concepts to her clients, and more feminine cuts for the casual moments. But nothing prepares you for the talent house that she is, for the ideas that generate the interior business of Quanto Bello Qatar, an interior design fitout firm that has executed work from within Qatar to meet the requirements of a growing clientele across the world. Someone who gets up feeling excited about the coming day, Angelo feels that Doha is a place of endless possibilities, of designs realised, of projects accomplished and relationships preserved.

The roots of the family business go all the way back to South Africa, where

Quanto Bello was originally based, set up by her father, Charles Boas, starting off as a joinery and carpentry business and then moving on to become a full-fledged design firm. “I established the design division of the firm and have been with Quanto Bello in South Africa and later in Qatar for the last 12 years,” says Angelo. “We are doing exactly what we used to do in South Africa. We design and execute turn-key projects; from flooring, wall finishes and ceiling, to the wood work which is completed in our in-house wood joinery factory.”

Memories of Angelo’s childhood in South Africa are filled with the sounds and smells of woodwork, and thus grew a passion for material and design, ignited

by her father who had an engineering degree in pattern making, and fanned by the support of her whole family, who have been and continue to be passionate about wood. With a full-fledged factory in Qatar that has CNC machines to execute the detailing that Angelo demands through her designs, the products that come out of the factory are exclusive. “The factory allows us to be creative. We create bespoke furniture. We understand wood and we experiment with the product to make spectacular designs.” From mashrabiya patterns to lattice ribbons interlaced together to choosing a natural veneer that gives a sophisticated unfinished yet textured look, Angelo’s fingers are on the

STORIES IN WOODInteriors of Merach Antico, a restaurant design that focuses on the firm’s expertise in woodwork.


THE FAMILY THAT WORKS TOGETHERFrom right clockwise:

Gavin Nassif, Procurement Manager, Jonathan Boas, Business Development Manager, Candice Nassif,

Finance Administrator, PA to MD/Finance Manager, Marlon Angelo, Senior Project Manager, Lauretta

Boas, Decorative/ Soft Furnishings, Bianca Angelo, Design Manager and Charles Boas, the Managing

Director and Founder OF Quanto Bello.

GID FOCUS


pulse of emerging designs and her sketches are clear, precise and neatly structured, leaving no doubt about the person executing the project. The perfectionist in her is again in focus, giving a structural perfection to the firm’s detailing work.

Originating as a family business, this modus operandi has continued and all employees form the “Quanto Bello Family”. This family approach is an added advantage according to Angelo. “We are here to make it work and we put in our best with all our passion. This is what we love and want to excel in,” she stresses. “We want to build a strong and long-lasting relationship with our clients and hence there is a comfort factor for both of us to work together. We are dependable and are here to stay.”

Debunking theories of companies in the interior design and contracting arena in Qatar out to make a quick buck while the sun is shining, is this growing firm that has decided to make Qatar their home, as they target and design for clients as far-flung as South Africa, Zambia, Angola, Dubai and even UK, USA and India.

While signature architects design for buildings in Qatar, it is a revelation to find talent in the country; design firms that is appreciated for its creations around the world.

“We had a name in South Africa. We were in the design business for over 34 years and were known for our woodwork innovations,” stresses Angelo. What pales in comparison to projects in all the countries mentioned above is this project in the USA where Quanto Bello did the interior renovation fit-out of the entire food court in the Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks. “All this while the firm was based in South Africa which means that we had to ship out the entire fit-out.” The firm has also designed a shop inside a mall in

CLASSIC WARMTH Left and Above: The corporate board room of Petroserv in Qatar; warm interludes in wood and white detailing makes for a corporate setting.

GID FOCUS


Dubai while it was still working as a South African design firm. The firm’s popularity followed them to Qatar and now they design out of Qatar for projects in Bahrain, Kuwait and even Saudi Arabia.

“It doesn’t matter where you are in the globe,” muses Angelo. “If quality and expertise are proven, designed furniture can be transported to any corner

of the world.”While Quanto Bello is engaged in

interior designs around the world, its projects in the country are equally exciting, says Angelo.

“From palaces to personal spaces, commercial and retail spaces around Doha, to residential premises of businessmen and Sheikhs: we have had projects across the spectrum in Doha,” she says.

She remembers one of the palaces recently executed, where everything was custom-designed, from headboards to chairs to the mashrabiya patterns; everything was purpose-built for the client by Quanto Bello.

“From palaces to personal spaces, commercial and retail spaces around Doha to residential premises of businessmen and Sheikhs; we have had projects across the spectrum in Doha.”

WORKMANSHIP Right and below: Nando’s interior concepts reveal the beauty of the material: wood; its flexibity and how it

can be moulded to create beautiful spaces; Below, Al Meera design .


“We have also built for other architects and designers. The Falcon Hotel at the Lagoona Mall is one of the recent fit-outs that we have completed,” she says.

“Another interesting project we are in the midst of is a children’s nursery project which I am really excited about as it has

various features that we would love to see in a children’s day care centre; everything that is about child development and comfort; light colours and soft furnishing,” says Angelo.

It is rare to find a medium-sized business that involves all its family members and that’s where Quanto Bello differs: Angelo’s father is her role model, the person who has trained and tempered her for the industry; her mother Lauretta Boas, who takes care of soft furnishing; husband Marlon Angelo who manages a

“I was inspired by the Waterloo Station and did a complete makeover of the concept. The concept design was spectacular, but we had to tone it down as the brand did not want to rock the boat or change their branding strategy drastically.”

OPULENCE IN DETAILSLeft and Above: Interiors of a palatial residence in Doha. According to Angelo, the client requirements range from ostentatious display to classic contemprory.

GID FOCUS


take it apart and reassemble it.”A project that is keeping Angelo excited

is a retail showroom of a French shoe brand called Courir brought by Al Mana Fashion to Doha for the first time. “I was inspired by the Waterloo Station and did a complete makeover of the concept, looking into street fashion for inspiration. The concept design was spectacular, but we had to tone it down as the brand did not want to rock the boat or change their branding strategy drastically.”

While Angelo doesn’t have a typical signature style, as her designs are all about reinterpreting the client’s brief in the most creative manner, the ubiquitous presence of wood and its creative variations can be seen as her own hallmark.

She says, “It is an amazing experience being in Qatar at this time. It is like getting a great canvas and being given an opportunity to be as creative as one can be. Where else do you get such opportunities?”

division and is the Senior Project Manager; her brother is the Business Development Manager and her sister is the brains, the finance assistant. But there is more to the firm than the family; the employees form an integral part of Quanto Bello. “The employees spend more time with us than they do with their families; hence it is vital that they enjoy what they do. We have close to 100 workmen at our joinery and 25 dynamic employees at our office. We practice an open working structure, where everyone’s ideas and thoughts are valued and heard. We are all involved in this,” says Angelo. She is the brains behind most of the designs of the firm. Her father wanted her to have a hands-on approach and her first actual contribution in designing was that of a TV unit in South Africa. “It was beautiful and big, I remember,” she laughs. “But the unit wouldn’t go through the door. We had to

RENDERINGSLeft and clockwise:Office interiors of Quanto Bello; concept designs of TLC, a new-age educational insitution for children.


By CHERIF AMOR, PH.D., EDRA, IDEC, & IIDAAmor serves as the chair of the interior design department at VCUQ. He earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Design, with a specialisation in the semantics of the built environment, from the University of Missouri Columbia (2000). Early graduate work (M.Phil degree in architecture, 1987) was completed at the School of Architecture, New Castle Upon-Tyne, England. He serves as a reviewer of several design journals/publications as well as a site visitor for the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and serves as the chair of the interior design network within the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA).

GID EXPERT

Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is a fine

example of deconstructivism.


Hence, as architects and interior designers, is our role limited to the generation of functional and aesthetically pleasant environments, or is it to generate healthier interior environments that are conducive to learning, production, and enjoyment?

Since Vitruvius’ theory of architecture, 1st century BCE, De Architectura, known today as the Ten Books of Architecture, in which he proposed the three fundamental laws of architecture – firmitas (firmness), utilitas (commodity), and venustas (delight) – schools of architecture/design continued to adhere to this triad for centuries giving predominance to functional aesthetic considerations.

In the mid-20th century, behavioural sciences found their way to schools of design and architecture whereby

NEUROSCIENCE, ARCHITECTURE, AND DESIGN: EMERGENCE OF NEW FRONTIERS

CONTRARY TO TRADITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS, WE SPEND 90% OF OUR TIME IN INTERIOR ENVIRONMENTS.

AN OFFICE EMPLOYEE SPENDS AT LEAST ONE-THIRD OF HIS OR HER LIFE SPAN (AT LEAST 8 HOURS/DAY) IN AN ENCLOSED INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT.

a plethora of research emerged that underscores environmental-related activities such as wayfinding, perception, and cognitive mapping. While this has added a new dimension to schools of design and architecture underscoring an evidence-based approach, the tendency remained controversial as research findings suggest debatable application.

The beginning of the 21st century signaled a new emerging paradigm—neuroscience —a paradigm that is gaining momentum in schools of design and architecture. The premises of this paradigm find impetus in the use of neural/physiological data that inform architecture and design.

Interesting to note that this year’s Environmental Design Research Association international conference (EDRA 2015), whose membership includes architects, interior designers, landscape architects, urban planners, and behaviourists, adopted a conference theme “brainSTORM: Dynamic Interactions of Environment-Behavior and Neuroscience” that signals this growing


interest. Likewise, the establishment of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA), whose mission is “to promote and advance knowledge that links neuroscience research to a growing understanding of human responses to the built environment”, further proffers a fresh and innovative neural and physiological data bank that for the first time architects and designers can use as evidence to inform design compositions.

This year’s EDRA 2015 keynote speaker, Thomas D. Albright, Professor and Conrad T. Prebys Chair in Vision Research, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, in his keynote speech “Towards A Neuroscience for Architecture” stressed that “Neuroscience is a new research discipline in the armament of long-standing efforts to understand the influence of built environments over human mental function and behaviour”. This theme brought the focus to new research methods and design strategies for the human habitation in our dynamic environment. This was well illustrated in the conference presentations that included but were not limited to Designing for the Spectrum: From Neuroscience to Design Actions; Neuroaesthetic Studies in Architecture: Insights From Neuroscience on Aesthetic Experience; Developing Neuroscientific and Psychological Approaches to Teaching Drawing and Design; Designing With the Metaphor of Brain in Mind; Neuroscience and Environmental Design: Implications for Education; and Autism, Lighting, and Neuroscience: Impact of Neural Data on

the Future of Architecture and Design. These and other studies are generating unique and fresh effervescent Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) neural data. These neural data (maps and composites) are a result of the interaction of space users with their respective environments. For the first time since the advent of FMRI technology, the architecture and design communities are able to decipher precisely which areas of the brain — frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, cerebellum, and temporal lobe — and their associated functions (pleasure, happiness, arousal, stress, etc.) are activated when experiencing the indoor and outdoor built environment. This is signaling a new era for the architecture and design disciplines that some critics considered as paving the way for new frontiers in the architecture and design disciplines.

In academia, this is well celebrated since one of the mechanisms through which we measure excellence is in progress. Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962, 1970, 1996), one of the most influential works of philosophy of science, noted that the primary thesis of all theories of knowledge is progress. Researchers in history of science postulate that scientific progress is bound to “hard sciences”, math, physics, and chemistry; but not “soft sciences” or sciences that are devoid of any precision and dependability, as Kuhn (1996) portrays it. This assumption took the central

stage of all debates within scientific communities, but in vain. This can be explained by the semantic dichotomy between hard and soft sciences relative to the concept of “progress”. Hard sciences rest on the assumption that progress can be exclusively achieved through the falsification of old paradigms, i.e., science grows through the nullification of old theories with the support of hard facts. Nonetheless, progress in soft sciences finds impetus in the conventionalist theory; i.e., the recognition that false assumptions may have true consequences and false theories may have great predictive power. This means that even false theories are not rejected or falsified. The question is, in architecture, design, and allied disciplines are we progressing or not, are we adding to the body of knowledge, or are we just doing “pseudo-science”? For instance, are we generating solid physiological evidence that will inform the future of our built environments—architecture, interior design, and allied disciplines, or are we just adding assumptions to the existing body of knowledge? Design between Elitism, Behaviourism, and NeurosciencePrecedents indicate that the built environments that we design and in which we live, work, and entertain have been designed among others with subjective design orientations,(see elitist approach) or designed with environment behaviour orientations. Classically, designers/architects, leaning on their

GID EXPERT

The question is, in architecture, design, and allied disciplines, are we progressing or not? Are we adding to the body of knowledge, or are we just doing “pseudo-science”?


artistic and formal personal preferences, are seen as the sole decision makers on how the built environment ought to be. This is what some called “environment determinism”, which grew out of the work of a number of scholars at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. This tendency remained a potent idea throughout the early twentieth century, perpetuated in different concepts, such as Le Corbusier’s Radiant City and Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City. Earlier rational theories in the mid-nineteenth century by theorists such as Viollet Le Duc suggested that the built environment is an instrumental tool in people’s behaviour change (Curtis, 1987; Lang, 1987; Frampton, 1992). They held that a wide range of human behaviour is directly and entirely determined by the environmental conditions within which the behaviour occurs. It is the idealism that suggests that better physical environment will improve people’s social behaviour, where the physical environment was seen as the principal instrument of social reform. This tendency remained a potent idea throughout centuries, perpetuated in different concepts, and sustained up to modern and contemporary times in works such as Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye (Modernism) in Poissy; Peter Eisenman’s House VI (Postmodernism) in Connecticut; Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum (Deconstructivism) in Bilbao, and others. The tenets and adherents of this tendency were labeled as the “elitists”.

In reaction to the elitist approach, it is

important to note that since the middle of the 20th century, an interdisciplinary environment behaviour movement emerged, represented in sociology by Walter Firey; in geography, by Wright; in psychology, by Edward Tolman; in urban planning, by Kevin Lynch; in urbanism, by Strauss and his students; and in anthropology, by Amos Rapoport (Moore, 1987; Stokols, D. & Altman, 1987; Bechtel, Arzah, & Arzah, 2002). Later on, in the 1980s, another emerging body of translational environmental behaviour research was established (Ulrich 1999; Cooper Marcus, Barnes, 1999; Kaplan & Dana, 2011) facilitating the design of well-informed built environments. Most of these theories might be synthesized in the formula suggested by Kurt Lewin in 1951, which reads: B = ƒ (P, E) where the letter B stands for behaviour that is a function of the person (P) and his environment (E). While the contribution of the environment-behaviour paradigm has, conspicuously, advanced the body of knowledge in architecture, design, and allied disciplines, it is important to note that environment-behaviour research findings started to generate controversial and debatable redundant data, signaling the necessity of a research breakthrough.

From “Pseudo” Science to Science: Are We Adding to the Body of Knowledge?Adding innovatively to environment behaviour orientations, emerging neuroscience research shows that environmental-related activities such as wayfinding, perception, cognitive

mapping and their behavioural consequences—anxiety, stress, happiness, arousal—are both reflected in our brains’ neural structures and electrochemical processes (Zeisel, 2006; Eberhard, 2007; Swanson, 2011; Mallgrave, 2011). These findings proffer solid physiological data that pave the way for further research that may decipher the correlation between design/architecture and the brain/neural activity. I do assume that the use of neuroscience in the architecture, design, and allied disciplines will bring about major collaboration efforts between academia, industry, practitioners, and other stakeholders. There is no doubt that the provision of hard/neural data will permit architecture and design disciplines to move from basic research to the domain of translational research and application.

The practice of designing the built environments in which we live, play, work, relax, and heal have been designed with an emphasis on subjective aesthetic inclinations or on environmental behavioural sciences (i.e., theories of perception, cognition, privacy, wayfinding, etc). While these aesthetic and environmental behaviour theories provided design solutions that rest on interpretation of externalized data (subjective preferences and/or behavioural surveys), the neuroscience paradigm will provide design solutions that rest on internalized neural data. The neuroscience paradigm will thereby facilitate the provision of why people behave in certain ways when interacting with the interior built environments

There is no doubt that the provision of hard, neural data will permit architecture and design disciplines to move from basic research to the domain of translational research and application.


Lemya Osman is the regional communication and interior design leader for IKEA UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Oman. She has been part of the IKEA family for 10 years and she believes that beauty and commerciality are equally important in all furnishing inspirations. “This means mixing home furnishing competence with retail skills to create smart solutions that appeal to people. Commercial solutions that combine function, beauty and value for money are highly inspirational to create satisfied customers who return again and again,” she says.

THE EXPERT

STRIKING

RIGHT BALANCETHE


I live in a house with an open floor plan. How do you choose paint colours that will keep the rooms separate without looking like a colour palette?Different colours in a room can alter the character in many ways. It can visually change the size of a room, affect the atmosphere as well as how light is reflected. There are no set rules in how to use colour. However, basic knowledge about how colour works can help achieve the desired effects. Colour can be used to connect two or more spaces together, for instance by using the same colour scheme on some of the accents throughout the space. At the same time, dotting the room with too many seemingly unconnected spots of colour will create a spotted rather than a harmonious environment. And don’t forget to play to your personal preferences and sensibilities.

What’s the thumb rule for mixing and matching patterns while decorating a room?Knowing the basic principles of colour and the effects of using different colours and patterns in home furnishing will help to co-ordinate and create the desired atmosphere in a room. When choosing patterns it is important to consider the scale or size of the pattern. The scale of patterns on walls, floors or other surfaces need to be appropriate for the size of the area it will cover. For example, the full effect of a large pattern is best created on a large wall. Large-scale patterns appear closer. They create a lively and stimulating atmosphere and they can prevent a large space from feeling too large and overwhelming. Patterns for small spaces need to be chosen with care. A large pattern will have a closing-in effect and the space will feel smaller.

My husband and I are decorating our new home and we’d like to use hardwood for our floors. What do I need to consider when choosing furniture and accessories to go with the dark wooden tones?Using accessories is an easy way to change or freshen up a room. Although accessories play a supporting role to the functions in a room, changing the dominant accessories changes the entire impression of the room.

There are no strict rules about accessorising, and no guaranteed solutions. Accessorising a home is mostly a matter of personal preference. However, some basic guidelines can help to create balance and atmosphere. + Start with an empty palette: The

furniture is always the base when decorating or redecorating a room. By clearing a room of all accessories, it is then possible to add new accessories for a new impression

+ Create a theme: Themes such as flowers, nautical motifs or animals create a consistent impression for a whole room, part of a room or a wall. Working with themes is pleasing to the eye and helps to reflect the personalities of the people who live in the home. The theme can be carried through on textiles, wall decorations, accessories and window treatments.

+ Limit the use of colours and shapes: Too many shapes and colours can create a messy impression. A calm and harmonious look can be created by limiting the number of colours and shapes.

+ Balance: Well-placed accessories help to improve the visual balance in a room. For example, a large or tall window on one wall can be balanced with a big picture on another wall

+ Breathing space: Leaving some space around wall decorations or groups of wall decorations gives them more aesthetic impact

We’ve had some of our framed prints for years on the walls and we’re bored with them. They seem repetitive and blend into the walls. Any suggestions to bring life into the wall décor?Wall decorations can turn a plain wall into a unique and expressive part of the home. The challenge in composing groups of wall decoration is to achieve a balance that gives each piece the attention it deserves. + Symmetry vs. asymmetry: If

displaying more than one object, a symmetrical or an asymmetrical display can be created. Symmetry tends to look classical and formal, while asymmetry looks more modern and casual. The choice will depend on the objects, available space and the desired effect

+ Groups in a rectangle: Hanging pictures of different sizes on a wall can create a cluttered impression unless they are grouped together. Using an imaginary frame can help. Contrasting sizes and intensity creates dramatic effects in a rectangular group. Balance is created by hanging small pictures above large ones and light ones above dark ones

+ Follow a line: One way to arrange wall decorations is to line them up along an imaginary line, parallel to the ceiling or to the floor

+ Find your focus: Hanging wall decorations according to an imaginary centre line is an alternative to lining them up on a top line or a base line. This is useful when the wall decorations are of different sizes. The centre line should be approximately at eye level

W R I T E TO U S

I F YO U N E E D E X P E RT A D V I C E , D R O P YO U R M A I L TO

S I N D H U @ O M S Q ATA R . C O M

Is there a particular art work or decorative piece you like but does not quite fit into your home? Or are you thinking of ways to mix and

match patterns? Do you sometimes wonder if a particular colour would suit your walls? The experts at IKEA share useful tips and

solutions to help you resolve all your home woes.


What is the core strength of Interspace?As a fit-out contracting company, we are a vertically integrated building company which means that we deliver the work ourselves. We have our own labour and production capabilities with an in-house joinery facility and upholstery, ceiling and partitions studios as well. We do all the stone installations ourselves. We also have a group company called How United that does our Mechanical,Electrical and Plumbing. So as a result, there is a higher sense of reliability for any client who approaches our design firm. As an interiors subsidiary of Gulf Contracting Company (GCC), another benefit is that all the sister companies work to the same ISO certified quality management systems and the same quality and safety standards and procedures.

What are the projects that you undertake? The majority of our projects are fit-out projects which are designed and come from three main sectors, namely, aviation, museums and banks. In the aviation sector, we have completed 20 lounges for the earlier New Doha International Airport and the current, Hamad International Airport, including the first and business class lounges as a joint venture with GCC and under the main contractor, Permasteelisa, an Italian company renowned for their glass facades at the airport. We are currently constructing the private jet terminal for Qatar Airways which will receive 30 Gulfstream aircraft in January. Under museums, we do a lot of work for Qatar Museums Authority, work for exhibitions such as Richard Serra, Damien Hirst, Murakami at Katara and Mathaf. For financial institutions, we do

Interspace is a full-service interior design company which offers stylish, customised and thoughtful design solutions and is backed by experienced craftsmanship and quality materials. Nicholas Sykes, Interspace Manager, speaks to Glam Interiors and Design on the brand, their current projects and future plans.

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Quality, Vision and Innovation


work for Qatar National Bank and Qatar Islamic Bank. We designed the ground floor and mezzanine and we have just completed the front fit-out, including the car park and front façade paneling of the Qatar First Bank building. We have also taken up projects for the Ministry of Finance building at the Corniche which is a five floor commercial office fit-out.How long does a project take to execute? Typically between three and six months, depending on the size of the project and the sequencing as to whether or not it’s a new-building or the refurbishment of an existing building and if it’s a refurbishment, whether it’s currently in use. Often we work around client’s operational requirements, to not disturb their business, which means working at nights, and delivering projects in phases so that they can re-arrange their personal effects into the areas

finished before starting new ones.What are the challenges you face while executing a project?Un- realistic deadlines are probably the main challenge we face when we take up a project. Clients want it to be done very quickly and the highest quality but do not give us enough time to execute it. This is something that has become very difficult in modern-day construction. Trying to persuade clients to give the necessary time to deliver a top-quality product is a challenge. However, we pride ourselves in delivering quality within the time frame given by the client.What is Interspace’s future plan? While our main focus is aviation, banking and museums sectors, we are looking to diversify into the hospitality sector where there is a greater degree of design involved. We are recruiting for a variety of positions and believe Qatar has a number of exciting projects in the pipeline.

NICHOLAS SYKESINTERSPACE MANAGER


BETWEEN

AND OPACITY

HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HAS GATHERED NUMEROUS ACCOLADES IN THE SHORT SPAN SINCE ITS OPENING; IT’S SAID TO BE THE MOST LUXURIOUS OF ALL AIRPORTS, ONE OF THE FEW THAT BRING TOGETHER WORKS OF ART FROM AROUND THE WORLD. IT’S WAVE-LIKE ROOF STRUCTURE IS A LANDMARK IN INTERNATIONAL AVIATION. ANOTHER IS ITS LONG GLASS PARTITION. GID TALKS TO JOEL BERMAN, THE DESIGNER BEHIND THIS INNOVATION.

MILES OF GLASS PARTITION

Berman and his senior designer looked to the

geography and the cultural history of the region and

the designs were a takeoff from the contemplative art

of Islam.

GID MASTERMIND


There is one more that was recently revealed: the corridor of the airport terminal is one of the longest secure glass corridors, 5.5 kilometers made with 170,000 sq. ft of glass.

The construction of this glass feat was handed over by HOK, on behalf of their client NDIA Steering Committee, to Joel Berman Glass Studios in 2007. Studio founder and President Joel Berman quickly grasped the scale of the undertaking and began work on the largest, most ambitious art glass project the studio would undertake in its more than 30-year history. Functionally, the requirement was for glazing of the secure passenger corridors in three airport concourses. The glass was to be patterned in such a way as to obscure the view within the corridor up to eye level height. While researching concepts, Berman and his senior designer looked to the geography and the cultural history of the region and the designs were a takeoff from the contemplative art of Islam. They developed a contemporary interpretation of the decorative arabesque motifs that figured prominently in the region’s architectural history. Berman speaks exclusively to Glam Interiors and Design about this project: “The Hamad

International Airport was an incredible project that to date is the largest glass art installation in the world. Our studio was engaged to design and create secure corridor glazing with the goal to create a graduated pattern from maximum coverage to clear. The project was very large in scale with an aggressive timeline. Finding an efficient and timely solution was a real design and production challenge.

“Through R&D, we developed a technique where a graphic image could be legible at long distance viewing as well as mid-range and close up. One of the challenges was to have a graphic on three layers in a laminated glass configuration. In order to make the pattern read on several layers, a complex process was developed to print on three sides of the laminated glass. This is the first application of its kind globally.”

Berman tells us how his fascination for glass began: “Inheriting my love of the arts, I was first inspired by my grandfather, a watchmaker who immigrated to Canada at the turn of the century,” says Berman. “Growing up in Winnipeg surrounded by the craftsmanship of my family’s jewellery business, I became fascinated by the

Italian and Czech blown glass featured in the family business. “Glass is a magical material, he says.“The way glass and light play together is fascinating as it affects the quality of a space. Glass is difficult to innovate but not impossible. The challenge of innovation is the core foundation of my business. Innovation pushes us forward; the desire to merge science and art creates new boundaries in glass for architecture,” he says. Some of the innovative forward-looking designs by Berman are explained in detail by the creator. “Our three-dimensional glass series consists of clear formed glass that pushes the limits of science and glass formation. In addition to this product line, we have many projects that have challenged the boundaries of innovation such as ‘Inside Ice’, a public art sculpture installation at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport,” says Berman.

Another project of Berman’s was a pyramid-shaped cast-glass facade at 11 Times Square in New York.

“We have worked on a number of projects where glass was used in architecture such as the one at 11 Times Square in New York as a façade, the

GLASSED IN“The Hamad

International Airport project was very

large in scale with an aggressive timeline. Finding an efficient and timely solution

was a real design and production

challenge.“


Hamad International Airport as interior glazing, Morrison Foerster’s flagship office in New York as a 20ft- high feature wall and many more,” he says. Recently, the studio launched a new product that shows promise in architectural applications. The product is called Enmesh Vision and is a laminated mesh interlayer. “Enmesh Vision lets you create innovative and exciting designs that transmit light and transform the visual appearance of a building facade as the sun moves across the sky. Laminated into glass, Enmesh Vision creates a unique optical effect, subtle reflection and reduction of solar heat gain. We are seeing a lot of interest in the product and look forward to seeing it in architectural applications around the world,” says Berman. Another new product, a masterpiece from Berman’s studio, won the Best Interior Product of 2014, is Plank, a texture that was inspired by the forests and nature in the Pacific Northwest. “Having lived on the West Coast of Canada, we wanted to pay

homage to large cedar trees that are so iconic to our surroundings. It is kiln cast classic texture with an organic design that exhibits the characteristics of natural wood grain species with translucency. Plank also plays on the retro wood paneling of the 1960s residential family rooms,” he says.

What next for Joel Berman Glass Studios? “There are many things on the horizon for our studio,” he says. “ I foresee a focus on our three-dimensional glass series as it has great potential for architectural facades and focal partitions. Our big series is an entertaining three dimensional clear glass that brings the human scale into architecture. We will also continue to focus on the public art sector by continuing to create unique and beautiful sculptures for public space. Creative expression within the scope of public art allows us to explore new ideas before they are implemented in the mainstream as a building product. It keeps our designers and craftsmen seeking, questioning and exploring new

The way glass and light play together is fascinating as it affects the quality of a space.

INNOVATIONabove and inset: pyramid-shaped cast-glass facade at 11 Times Square in New York, innovation by Berman Studio.

GID MASTERMIND


territories in the medium of glass in the built environment.”

Glass manipulation is how the design team comes up with solutions. “In a lot of ways, glass material manipulation is real-time, hands-on, and fuelled by design and craft. Some manipulation is mental, and when challenged, surprises happen and innovation occurs. We at the studio always question our everyday assumptions in the fabrication of glass. The Hamad International Airport is a good example of a complex idea developed into a large-scale production,” says Berman.

The challenge was to create a layered pattern within the confines of laminated glass that produces an image in three scales or distances at the Airport. A new technique for printing was developed due to the need of this particular project, says Berman.

“ We produce glass in one manner for a period of time and then think of how we can do the same thing differently in order to better achieve our growing ambitions. Changing the context of our thought is the first step in creative problem solving. In turn, this becomes an opportunity rather than an

obstacle in our perception of the challenge as a first step,” he says. Berman also has a dream to achieve in terms of innovative material: three-dimensional clear glass is one. “The design and formation of glass collages is still a favourite for me going back to when I first studied glass and art. Paying homage to stained glass with the advancing technologies of printing on glass with ceramic frit allows us to freely design and innovate based on the idea of leaded glass. We are always thinking of the ‘habit of what is next’. Our studio is frequently regarded as being an early adopter of technology and innovator of new techniques,” he adds.

As a glass artist, Berman loves the age-old glass blowers and their designs. “Lino Tagliapietra is the living master of glass blowers and he produces incredible pieces of art through glass as a medium,” he says.

Joel Berman Glass Studios has ventured into the world of furniture and lighting over the company’s history. They have produced tables, screens, lighting and other lifestyle products and Berman wants to explore this arena too.

“Glass material manipulation is real-time, hands-on, and fuelled by design and craft. Some manipulation is mental, and when challenged, surprises happen and innovation occurs.”

GLASS ARTAbove: Plank, an award-winning product from Berman

Studio and Below: A public art sculpture installation at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson

International Airport.


GID REGIONAL FOCUS

AUTHENTICITYIN DESIGN

FROM INTRICATE WORKS OF ART, EMPHASIZING THE BEAUTY OF HANDCRAFTING, TO THE USE OF SPECIFIC STYLES OF ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY CALLED ‘KUFIC’, WITH AN ARTISTIC FUSION OF TRADITIONAL AND MODERN, HOSAMMA, THE BRAINS BEHIND BRAND ETQAAN, HAS CARVED A NICHE IN AUTHENTIC EGYPTIAN HERITAGE FURNITURE.

BY AARTHI MOHAN

ART OF INLAYINGMother-of-pearl has become synonymous to Etqaan’s design and is combined with wood to produce decorative works of art.


He has the flair to transform a simple piece of furniture into a detailed work of art. His repertoire includes carefully crafted, genuine, one-of-a-kind heritage pieces. What ties this together is the story he tells through his designs.

A fourth generation craftsman from Cairo, Hosamma gives bespoke furniture a traditional twist by mastering the art of Arabic craftsmanship and calligraphy.

Growing up in a family that has been producing handmade furniture from the early 1900’s, Hosamma’s passion for rich culture and heritage, motivated him to combine the warmth of tradition into modern design by taking pieces of history and weaving them into something out of the ordinary. Authenticity is crucial to this artist and the essence of his designs reflects the period they were created in. All the pieces are sourced from Egypt and are inspired by the Coptic era with Islamic and European influences.

Hosamma’s design philosophy treads on achieving the right balance between art and functionality without compromising on the details and materials.

Crafting a piece of furniture is a unique experience for this maker. “I have the wonderful ability to create designs that become part of people’s daily life. It is a

very human-centric process and involves extensive research. You have to live in other people’s shoes to get inspired. The ideas are then infused into the design of the piece. It is time-consuming, but the results are worth waiting for,” says Hosamma.

Any natural material is a potential medium for this designer, “I love using natural materials, as it gives products the luxury it needs. When it is handmade it becomes more human, which is an important part of my designs. Mixing materials gives richness to a product and brings sophistication yet, exudes simplicity. A product should be defined by material and function with a great story to tell,” he says.

Arabic calligraphy is an art in itself, the way it’s written, the different writing styles and the script. To Hosamma, all these aspects represent a gold mine of inspiration. “Artistic freedom comes from having command of what you’re doing and I feel that I’m in control of the vocabulary of authentic Arabic art which liberates me and opens new aspects in design. I have never felt inflexible, on the contrary the challenges of work always open new dimensions that lead to new creative ideas,” says the designer.

“Arabic art is often perceived as old and doesn’t fit in with today’s trends, which isn’t particularly the case. I believe that true authentic art can match any design trend if incorporated correctly,” he says.

Having worked on a number of antique restoration projects in Cairo, some of Hossama’s celebrated works include the Hanging Church in Old Cairo, Amr Ibn Alas Mosque, Al Ghoury Market and iconic hotels that where once royal palaces the Mena House Cairo and the Cairo Marriott. His designs have greatly been influenced by the works of Alberto Pinto, who he has collaborated with, on many projects. “We live in a mass production mechanical age; pure materials have been replaced to more cheap manufactured ones. So to stick to the aesthetic of handcrafted and artisanal and to be competitive at the same time is still a great challenge I face every day,” says the master craftsman.

Good designs live forever, Hosamma’s future plan is to present the next generation with classic designs inspired by Egyptian heritage which are modern and simple. He has found his place in a growing artisanal movement. While his craft pays homage to his bloodline, authenticity and ingenuity will always remain Hosamma’s signature style

DESIGN PHILOSOPHYEtqaan captures the evolution of traditional Arabian art and preserves its true form in authentic and intricate furniture pieces.


GID GLAMOUR

THE COLOUR IS OCHREThe most vibrant space within the Market; the back bar made of recycled glass and hanging lamps illuminating the bar table and the sleek wooden stools.


THEMARKET

UNDERSPOTLIGHT

W DOHA HOTEL & RESIDENCES HAS ALWAYS EPITOMISED FUN, WARMTH, AND HAPPY MOMENTS. THERE IS AN AIR ABOUT IT THAT EVOKES INSPIRATION AND INNOVATION; BOTH IN DESIGN AND THOUGHT PROCESS. WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT NEEDED A REFURB AT THE W? DEFINITELY NOT, WE WOULD ALL AGREE, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGN, W HAS ALWAYS HAD AN EDGE AND WITH THE REFURBISHMENT OF MARKET BY JEAN-GEORGES, IT SETS TO PROVE IT YET AGAIN.

BY SINDHU NAIR


Market has been relishing the palates of gourmands with food influenced by world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten for six years. With a constantly changing menu served to an intelligent follower-base in a city that sees progress day in and day out, the aesthetic of Market had to evolve at the same pace. Thus started the refurbishment of Doha’s own PJ Clarke’s, taken on by United Design Partnership, a UK-based design company who has worked on over 200 internationally renowned hotels, spas, residences, bars and restaurants in London, Europe, US, Asia and the Middle East.

To understand the oeuvre of the

design firm, imagine the W lobby. The awe-inspiring Arabic lanterns hanging down from its high ceiling, the sleek white interiors a perfect backdrop for the dramatic sweep of the stairway leading to the restaurants and meeting spaces above; a lobby space that is all about bringing people together for an experience that’s the signature of W. United has designed the landscaping for the whole site, including two separate entrance lobbies for the hotel and the residences. “Our inspiration came from the need to produce something new and progressive for Doha to reflect an emerging and forward thinking city,” says Keith Hobbs, CEO and Founder, United Design Partnership.

With a career spanning over 40 years,

DESIGN EXCELLENCEAbove: Keith Hobbs, CEO and Founder, United Design Partnership, the design firm behind the W interiors; Below, dark wood and glass binds the space in warmth.

GID GLAMOUR

Hobbs has secured a global reputation as the driving force behind United. “Our vision is to create beautiful spaces that reflect our client’s ethos with the sensitivity and nuance that is needed for a well-designed space where connoisseurs choose to spend their time. This is why United’s designs for iconic projects such as The Dolder Grand Hotel, W DOHA, The Metropolitan by COMO London or Galvin at Windows have stood the test of time,” says Hobbs.

Hobbs expalins that the theme was to give Market a refurbishment to make a difference in design but to keep certain aspects the same. “The restaurant works so well but wanted a new lease of life,” he says. While this can be a demanding brief, United took the challenge of improving the firm’s own design of the already beautiful interiors.

“The design works with the original


GLASS AND WOODJoinery units separate some of the seating areas while the brilliance of the back bar makes the space look more enticing.

concept of East meets West, with the detail in the design but using an eclectic mix of decorative objects,” says Hobbs. You know the design of the refurbishment is a success when you enter Market interiors, soak in the design and realise that you cannot imagine how the space looked before the revamp. The colour theme of warm ochre and wood, cooled with glass as the backdrop and elements of blown glass

lighting makes the interiors a cozy space, just right for the mixed group of people who flock to the Market.

“We added ribbed timber panels to have different uses of a natural material,” says Hobbs. “The antiqued mirror adds warmth and reflection, increasing the sense of space throughout the restaurant. Also using antique bronze trim highlights the rich timber joinery pieces.”

The colours of the new Market restaurant design remain warm, atmospheric and vibrant whilst adding fresh and inspiring ideas to modernise this most important aesthetic. New Calcutta

marble steps and worktops offer a polished and refined image that is consistent with the brand and its culinary offerings, whilst oak and ribbed timber paneling showcases a rich and rustic side to the restaurant.

Using the latest techniques, antique bronze metalwork has also been incorporated into the interior, helping to reinforce a contemporary but classic feel. By adding richer tones and refined details, Market has enhanced its reputation as a relaxed and comfortable place to dine at all times of the day.

While privacy is certainly one of the challenges in designing restaurant spaces, the Market has an open plan with joinery units to divide certain areas but keeping the shelves open to have vision throughout the space.

While the interiors is a riot of warm yellow shades, the glass behind the bar is my favourite design element that binds the space. “We used a beautiful glass for the back bar. This is recycled glass manufactured in layers to give the colour and depth and back lit to create a really vibrant back bar,” says Hobbs.

“We wanted to add extra warmth and richness to Market. So we chose timber to create this feel,” he says of the colours picked. “We added lighting to keep the light and fresh feel.”

While the refurbished Market continues to make a lasting impression on its long list of clientele, design firm United has started work on another Doha project, the design of the VIP and VVIP rooms of the Doha Tennis Stadium

“Even more so than perhaps our European clients, I have found my Middle Eastern clients to be highly personal and involved and together we have been able to create some truly groundbreaking designs.”


MUSE

A ND

MEMORIES

ARTIST AND SCULPTOR JACINTHE LAMONTAGNE-LECOMTE’S COZY LIVING ROOM TEAMS WITH AN ARRESTING ASSORTMENT OF CLAY,

WOOD AND METAL CURIOS – SOME AMASSED DURING HER EXTENSIVE TRAVELS AND MANY CRAFTED BY HER OWN HANDS.

BY AYSWARYA MURTHY

EXPAT HOME

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGEL MALLARI

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE:Over 12 years, Jacinthe Lamontagne -Lecomte has built a cozy and eclectic home in the heart of Doha but with inspiration drawn from the ancient lands of the Far East and Africa.


When Jacinthe moved to Qatar, and into her villa, some 12-years ago, there were no high-rises visible from her window and the bougainvillea creepers now entwined through the pergola were still asleep in their seeds.

For the French Canadian artist and her pilot husband, the Middle East was an exotic interlude. Her current studio previously served as their Majlis, complete with sheesha and saddle. They even owned a horse at one point but had to give it away, unable to tame the animal’s racing temperament.

Eventually the new became familiar and the unknown became exotic again. Jacinthe’s travels in the East left indelible marks on her, her home and her art. She had found her muse. And with every trip she would come home with fresh inspiration for the canvas and kiln, as well as her favourite finds from the land, discovered after combing through hot and

humid markets and obscure, dusty antique stores. Consequently, her home today is the carefully nurtured lovechild travel and art, each piece having survived fiery ovens, long-haul flights and destructive cleaning ladies.

“I am so fond of Asia and have loved everywhere I have been. It started with Sri Lanka,” she says pointing at the Batik hanging over the dining room wall which is from there. Then Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Nepal, China, Indonesia... she zipped in and out of these countries as she satiated her voraciously artistic appetite with exciting local flavours. One whole wall of her living room is dedicated to masks she brought back from her travels. There is one from Vietnam, a stark, white face of a woman, her rich, red lips encasing blackened teeth. Jacinthe explains that in Vietnam some ethnic people used to dye their teeth black and it was considered a symbol of beauty. The other wall is

PLAYING FAVOURITES Left: The metal angel, or deva, statuette from Bangkok that is clearly one of Jacinthe’s favourites. Her antiques dealer in Thailand is reportedly on the lookout for a second piece, the statue’s pair.

EXPAT HOME



CONFLUENCE With every trip she would come home with fresh inspiration for the canvas and kiln, as well as her favourite finds from the land, discovered after combing through hot and humid markets and obscure, dusty antique stores.


adorned with more masks, but these look distinctly different. They are from another part of the world, equally steeped in forgotten history and tradition – Togo, Cameron, Senegal, Burkina Faso...

Her absolute favourite, and placed in a central place of honour, is metallic statue – a gift from her husband. It is that of a Buddhist angel, or deva, from Bangkok. “It’s quite old and rare; what makes it exceptional is the finesse in the details,” she says, pointing at its long, delicate

fingers. “It’s one of a pair and our antique dealer in Thailand is looking for the other one.”

The living room is cool and dark, thanks to the canopy of trees and climbers over the windows, the result of several years of work by Jacinthe on what was essentially a patch of bare earth. The air is still, quiet. The parrots are away for the afternoon, having already polished off the apples Jacinthe had laid out for them. Shrouded in perpetual shadow, the masks and statuettes come alive with the mysteries of the ages. And mixed in among them are Jacinthe’s own creations, hiding in plain sight and blending with ease. The statue of Confucius stands barely a foot away from an AmericanIndian-inspired totem pole that Jacinthe crafted. We don’t notice them at first. We assume her works are confined to her warm, light studio where bits and pieces of her previous exhibitions take up every inch of space. Her surrealist depictions of the Abaya-clad Qatari woman sit above a nude figurine of a woman in repose, deemed too risqué for public eyes in Doha. It is then we become aware of how her work spills over from her studio, through the dining room (where she is currently working on new Asia-inspired paintings, created using photo transfer with mixed-media on canvas) and

There is one mask from Vietnam; a stark, white face of a woman, her red lips encasing blackened teeth. Jacinthe explains that some ethnic people used to dye their teeth black and it was considered a symbol of beauty.

EXPAT HOME



And mixed in among these globally-sourced artefacts are Jacinthe’s own creations, hiding in plain sight and blending with ease.

FOUNDED ON FEEL “To be able to decorate a home, you need to feel it, need to live inside of it.”

EXPAT HOME



into the living area. As we move towards the family’s private space upstairs, the tone of the décor begins to change. Here the focus is on personal memories and family treasures. In the hallway is an old French armoire that many decades ago was used to store her husband’s baby clothes. Along the stairway, dozens of framed pictures are hung, each neatly signed by their daughter, Charlotte. Like height markings etched on the walls of a family home, these pictures too grow in talent and flair as we climb up the stairs. Further down is a miniature painting by Jacinthe’s art teacher and a sculpture called “I am a Falcon”. Upstairs, her daughter’s bedroom rests in suspended animation, waiting for her while she is away in Marseille, France, studying medicine. A sprawling bookshelf that spans the entire length and breadth of a wall doubles as a cabinet of curiosities, the native Indian craftworks peppered about as a reminder of Jacinthe’s home and history (she is part native Indian, she says).

She shudders to think of moving day, when it eventually comes. Like many expats, Jacinthe too didn’t believe they were going to be in Doha for long. But she has learned to love the place, mainly because of the opportunity to travel but also because she gets to come back to a home lovingly and painstakingly put together over many years. Cozy and inviting, there will be none like it and it will share a special space along with their erstwhile rustic home in Montreal, or their apartment in Marseille, which Jacinthe is slowly starting to make her own, each time she goes to France to visit Charlotte, or the new condominium the couple purchased in Bangkok as their holiday home.

“To be able to decorate a home, you need to feel it, need to live inside of it,” she says. She isn’t sure what her Marseille home will look like; she is feeling something modern. But she needs a little more time to fully understand what the house is trying to tell her

A TOUCH OF THE PERSONAL Upstairs, the space is reversed for special, personal memories, too precious for the eyes of a casual visitor.


I feel that while Dubai is an “Alpha City”, Doha has a more feminine quality in its design, and I think it is because there is, or has been, a female leadership in many design projects (Qatar Museums, Education City, Msheireb). There are many buildings that touch and inspire me in

Qatar, particularly the rehabilitated historic buildings like the future museums that will be housed in former courtyard houses in Msheireb. Two of my Ph.d mentors at Harvard University were

involved in its origins: Professors Joan Busquets and Hashim Sarkis, now Dean of MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning.

On another note, and far away from Doha, but also connected with my mentors in architecture, is the East-West/West-East installation by Richard Serra in the desert at Al Brouq Nature Reserve. As an architecture student, I was introduced early on to Contemporary Art and particularly Land Art

and we studied Richard Serra’s work, as it was very important and inspiring for architects. His sculptures, like this one, work on pushing the limits of the physical principles of gravity

while dialoguing with urban spaces or landscapes.

OLD MEMORIES IN NEW

DOHA

THE SPACE

Trained as an architect and urbanist, Dr Anna Grichting also teaches landscape and ecological planning at Qatar University’s College of Engineering. “Therefore, while I am enchanted and seduced by beautiful and meaningful buildings, I also tend to look at the larger picture, which includes neighbourhoods, public spaces and landscapes,” she says. Like the MIA and Burj Doha, inspiring structures by themselves, which also create great public spaces and contribute to the city.

Dr Grichting with Richard Serrain Qatar

MSHEIREB PICTURES : FROM BARKER LANGHAM’S WEBSITE

gid 6th issue

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