Spotted: faked Apple stores! Guess where? In China! This is today's (small) buzz.Check out the full story here.

What to learn from that story is how much the brand image asset can count for a firm's revenues. What best strategy for an opportunistic businessman but to duplicate a winning strategy to make fast (and yeah, dirty) money? 

Source: http://birdabroad.wordpress.com/

Because it's spring in the Northern hemisphere and I've been missing freezing and snowing weather and winter way of living since I left Denmark, let me tell you a few words about this iceskating winter Shelter in Winnipeg, Canada. 

True, not anyone is able to understand the interest of such a shelter. Just imagine how it feels when the temperature is a low -20°, you're outside enjoying some winter sport on a frozen river, and the wind arises. See? Being able to stay seated while being protected from the chilling wind is a great relief.

And if not for appreciating the protection while iceskating, you can still appreciate the architecture and how it fits to the surrounding environment. As it's middle of a frozen river, I'm wondering what the shelter becomes when ice is melting down...A shelter to protect from burning sun?

Congrats to Canadian Patkau Architects for their fairytale shelter so in line with Canada and the respect for nature there! Should fit other countries abroad.

Source: www.designbuzz.com

Photo: J.C Carbonne

To finish my series of posts about Constance Guisset, and because I'm a very big fan of French super famous choreographer Angelin Preljocaj, I wanted to share this great scenography by Constance Guisset for recent solo performance "Le Funambule" by Angelin Preljocaj.

Not much to say, images are mesmerizing, don't you think so?

Sources: www.constanceguisset.com

Photograph: Jason Havneraas & Grethe Fredriksen

Spotted: a wooden hut for Norwegian little children ordered by the Trondheim municipality for their kindergarten. The constraint: the budget. The answer: leftover material from a nearby building site, only allowing small pieces of wood as key ingredient.

A great place to play protected from the rain, gather over a fire and dream while staying in that fairy modern nest.A recollection of former Norwegian huts.

Scandinavian designers have hit again: congrats to Haugen/Zohar Arkitekter!

Source: www.archdaily.com

Because Wikileaks is the buzz word of the moment, I've just discovered the storage place Wikileaks rented the services of recently: Swedish internet services provider Bahnhof's data storage center in Stockholm, Sweden, also known as the "Pionen White Mountain".

It's an amazing work of sci-fi architecture designed by Albert France-Lanord Architect. The location? A former bunker 30m under the ground, relevant place for cooling the storage system, directly inspired by sci-fi movies and in particular the James Bond scenes: 1200 sq-m of storage spaces as well as offices where human beings have to spend their whole work day under the ground. A great challenge achieved by the combined work of the architects and the client. Congrats!

Read agency's explanations about the project here. 

Sources: www.archdaily.com + http://ddkdhar.blogspot.com/

 

 

It's often asked "What's the difference between art and design?". It's often answered "Design is about function". But sometimes, art can come to function.

A good example is given by non-profit organisation RxArt dedicated to art in hospitals as a hope- and patient comfort-enhancer. Idea is to place work of arts, dedicated or not, created by major artists into medical venues. I find this over-10-year-lasting initiative fabulous. If more and more attention is paid to medical venues in terms of architecture, such attention can only be afford in new building projects. Which means most medical venues worldwide are out of this scope. No great news when you know the likelihood of a patient to recover is highly due to his/her mental and faith in recovering.

So just applause RxArt for their work and hope their initiative will be widespread outside the US.

Learn more about RxArt here.

Source: BMW Mini Newsletter

Kinetic, here we are again! yes, but it's so beautiful! And no, I haven't searched on purpose news about brand art and kinetic sculptures around the world! Life is as such: sometimes, you focus on something and then it seems that the whole worlds revolves around it!

This time, we're talking about a gigantic kinetic work of art being designed by art-based design studio UAP and artist Ned Kahn, for the Brisbane Domestic Airport short-term carpark.

A 5000sq.m-8-storied wall made of 250000 panels of aluminium that will move with the wind and give an image of unceasingly moving water. Should be a great urban work of art: a bit of poetry and fantasy within a very urban environment! Plus that work of art will not only be aesthetics and mesmerizing, it will also help cooling off the car park.

Due date late 2011. Don't miss to fly to Brisbane!  

Source: http://weburbanist.com 

THe Champ-Elysées Avenue is on its way to become the avenue of the world car makers flagships. After Toyota, Citroën, now is the turn to Fiat to open its flagship there.

More than a flagship, the Fiat Motor Village intends to offer an "experience of Italy". All the spaces inside the all-glass building are related to the Italian way of living: enjoy life! There, you can then enjoy shopping in the store, have a lunch break at the Nolita restaurant, enjoy the Terrazza feeling at the Terrazza bar, nourrish your mind with exhibitions and of course discover more about Italian cars with the cars themselves and some events related to the brands of the group.Last point: to make you live the Italian experience and create a venue of experience, all has been thought: a famous fashion designer has been called to design the avant-garde and elegant uniforms of the hostesses.

So, what do you wait to go and discover the trendy-to-become Motor Village? Oh maybe, it's the name...

Discover the place online here.

Source: Design Fax 717

The number one colour-maker, Pantone, have now their hotel: the Pantone Hotel was born late May in Brussels.

The concept: the hotel is a tool to highlight the Pantone brand. 59 rooms, 7 floors, each dedicated to a colour, each room being all white + a photography + related pantone chips. "Sober, neutral".

Well. Sure thing is such an initiative is not for free: it's a sales tool and being so, it has to express the brand's personality. Seeing the result, I cna't help wondering whether Pantone hasn't reached the limit of that and just built an empty body to sell their products? I would have expected far more innovative an hotel design when it comes to Pantone investigating that business. 

Architect: Olivier Hannaert
Interior Designer: Michel Penneman
Photographies by Belgian photographer Victor Levy

Source: www.fubiz.net

It seems luxury does not know crisis. Or hasn't seen crisis coming...

Anyway. A few days ago, Louis Vuitton opened its biggest European store ever in London at New Bond Street. 1500m2 that is a right expression of what the Louis Vuitton brand is: luxury crossed with arts.

Indeed, the 3-year-project has resulted into a store of its one kind: a store that proposes an emotional experience. You can come for shopping, or just for walking around admiring the works of arts from the state-of-the-art LVMH collection standing everywhere, from Jeff Koons to Gilbert et George, relaxing etc. That new philosophy for the Louis Vuitton shops is based on the after-crisis lessons: the clientele for luxury is now in need of emotion...

Source: http://blog.yolandmoutama.fr and www.lejdd.fr

Le Bon Marché, one of the 4 Parisian in-town department stores and the only one located in the Rive Gauche of the city, has just unveiled their new concept: La Maison d'Edition.

A few years ago, competitor Galeries Lafayette gathered all their home and decoration products on a one space, the Lafayette Maison. Today is the run to Le Bon Marché to do so. One should think this is the response from Rive Gauche. But actually, I don't think so. The concept from Le Bon Marché is more than just a department store dedicated to homeware.

On 2nd floor of the Bon Marché building, 7000 sq. meters have been refurbished to present their cross-offer about home decoration and design, from furniture to books and scents and cooking. Idea is to offer the clients the Bon Marché vision of a certain lifestyle that above the retail aspect of the department store, the Bon Marché is all about more than any of their competitors.

And to top up that vision, clients will be able to sit down to a gourmet table for lunch with a restaurant run by French famous Chef Guy Martin. Or, if they prefer food for thought, they could sit down in an armchair and read some books in the kind-of library middle of that space!

Source: www.materialiste.com and www.lebonmarche.com

©Thierry Chomel


This is the latest big buzz in town: American fashion brand Ralph Lauren has opened the biggest European flagship ever!

2150 sq.m on the boulevard Saint-Germain, a dedicated XVIIth-century 5-storied building to present all the Ralph Lauren sub-brands, a restaurant to be opened on April 26th, a pretty courtyard...An American feeling of Paris! This is exactly that! Each time, the Ralph Lauren stores try to mix the brand personality and standard features any client can find in any Ralph Lauren store around the world and the specificities of the place where the store is located. Here a mix between American culture and glamour, culture and art that Paris inspires to Ralph Lauren. Objective is to seduce a younger clientele.


That huge project started 4 years ago. Still! That brand is also part of that small world of brands that seem to believe tough times cannot make them abandon their brand projects.

Sources: www.materialiste.com www.aufeminin.com

This is a World Premiere: the City of Copenhaguen is working on bicyles commuter superhighways to link the city center to the outskirts by bike!

In a city where 55% of the population is using bike as car is used in the USA, no wonder the idea came out! Soon then, the city will be equipped with 13 bike highways going up to a perimeter of 15kms from the city center. Those highways will offer the same amenities than the traditional ones, like rest areas and stations to have your tyres in good shape! Currently, 15000 bikers are the core target group, but 85000 commuters currently using the train, car or bus might be of interest to!


Sources: http://rouelibre.org and Courrier International "100 tendances pour 2011"

The new concept for French soft-discounter Leader Price (Groupe Casino) stores was launched a few days ago.

Interest of the lifting to me is about the evolution of the visual codes of the soft-discounter stores that French agency Malherbes has twisted towards the ones of traditional supermarkets:
    - reorganisation of the store: spaces dedicated to a range of products like a real veggies and fruits space at the entrance of the store. Plus, for the same initial superficy, space has been gained enabling the retailer to propose 15% of reference more.
    - colours: black colour has been introduced giving the store a better look and avoiding the "warehouse" look & feel the soft-discounters had so far
    - animation: flat screens all over the store with advertising on the products sold in the stores + some talks by a famous French TV presenter specialized in food

More information on the video (French version only).

Italian furniture brand B&B Italia has its own flagship in the design furniture district of Paris since a few days. 750 sq.m dedicated to the products of the brand. The flagship is part of B&B Italia strategy to be fully present in key capitals around the world.

The store is been said to embody B&B italia values of creativity, innovation and modernity...Is that about the pictures that I'm not convinced of the creativity and innovation of the venue? Or is that it's just not innovative and creative? Too bad for such a brand!

Source: http://deco-design.biz 

This is the architectural news of this year! The highest tower ever made by Man in History is just completed!

5 years of works, 828m, visible at 95km around, 12000 people living or working there, 90% of the properties sold, this is the new symbol of Dubaï. Dubaï is becoming the city of architectural audacity!

Source: www.lepoint.fr

A completely crazy project like only multibilionaires can dream of and pay for!

"Ordos 100" project: 100 international architects selected to build 100 1000sq.meters houses in the Mongolian desert in 100 days! An entire brand-new 21st century city built from scratch! This is the ongoing project that Cai Jiang, a rich Chinese farmer amateur of art has ordered. To supervise this massive project, two famous architects China is in love with: Herzog & de Meuron! That's it!

More to see soon!

Source: AD Magazine October 2009 and www.ordos100.com

A tropical forest that would have grown middle of a parisian courtyard? No, a 130 sq.meters house for a 4-people family hidden middle of the 3rd district of Paris. A crazy but environmental architecture signed by French architect François Roche and its agency R&Sie(n).  

This project is a sustainable housing. 1200 ferns, 300 blown glass test-tubes to grow a bacteria and reflect outside light in the house. More technical information here.

Source: www.new-territories.com/

This is the new flagship of the chocolate brand Godiva in Tokyo.

Godiva Chocoiste has been designed around the idea of "Treat thyself": an appealing chocolate wall all inside and customers stuck to their tasting that you can see from outside!

Are you already feeling the chocolate flavour?



Agency: Japanese agency Wonderwall

Source: www.dezeen.com

It seems so logical for a brand that masters working on textile for the human being to work on textiles and products for their homes! After Armani, Missoni, Zara, it's now to H&M to launch its own home textile and product brand!

Open on September 25th, 2009, in their headquarter of Stockholm, H&M Home store is a retail experience in itself. Half store, half art gallery, the H&M store is to host art installations, like the current one "Home Reflections" by Joshua Allen Harris. Idea is about border between installation and product display to disappear. But the retail expmeerience is not only about architecture created by Uxus, nor the gallery store concept, but also about the purchase act. You won't find dozens of the product you'd like to buy but colour tags you'll stick onto a personal metallic card. Don't want a product?colour tag anymore? leave it onto the "no-longer wanted" wall. Looking for a product not displayed in the store? GO to the color tag library! Finish your purchase by presenting your metallic card to the cashier!

Craving to experience? Indulge a shopping tour in Stockholm!

Source: http://davidreport.com/blog/ and http://cyanatrendland.com