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 January/February 2024 Contents

_70
Brilliant
Homes

Features

054 Art House

A bold San Francisco house by Mork-Ulnes
Architects rises from the ashes.
By Rachel Gallaher

060 Seamless Transitions

Craft Narrative bridges the urban–rural divide
with its two-family home in Pune, India.
By Anuj Daga

066 Multi-Gem
The granny flat gets a major makeover by
the U.K.’s Oliver Leech Architects.
By Giovanna Dunmall

Craft Narrative’s home for

070 Modern Vintage two farmer brothers in
Adaptive re-use meets affordable housing India deftly harmonizes
indoor and outdoor spaces.
in a vibrant Basel apartment building.
Photo by Ekansh Goel
By Anna Roos
On the cover: A glimpse
into the house that Mork-
076 Mister MacKay-Lyons’s Neighbourhood
Ulnes designed for Alison
We catch up with Nova Scotia’s most promi- and Bruce Damonte,
nent architect, in Shobac, Lunenburg and who crafted its interiors
and captured it all in
Queen’s Marque. By Elizabeth Pagliacolo
photographs, respectively.

NOV/DEC 2023_ _ 013

Contents January/February 2024

First + Foremost
022 Both Sides Now
Christ & Gantenbein span a Swiss river with a
series of sweeping archways
025 Site Visit
A mass timber pavilion welcomes Stockholm
diners into a sloped cathedral
028 Landscape
Manhattan’s Gansevoort Peninsula combines
sand, picnic seating and a soccer field
030 Material Science
Unravelling a new digital fabrication tech-
nique inspired by craft weaving
032 Insight
How the leaders of Audo CPH, Tolix and

035
Ligne Roset are gearing up for new chapters
Show Report: Cersaie
Reflecting on pasta and porcelain at Italy’s
_25
Slanted &
annual showcase of ceramic tiles
038 Groundbreaker
In Winnipeg, KPMB builds a natural oasis
beneath a spectacular spiralling roof
042 Spotlight: Building Envelope
A lace-like fibre facade, a chameleonic shell,
plus new looks in cladding
Enchanted
088 Media Shelf
Two books and a podcast encourage fresh
thinking about sustainability

Spec Sheets

_35 082 Bath Time

Spa-like tubs and selfie-ready mirrors
086 Slick Surfacing

Best of Travertine-look porcelain and more

PHOTO BY EMIL FAGANDER (SLANTED & ENCHANTED)

Plus
Cersaie 090 All the Waterfront’s a Stage
A recent play recaps the Sidewalk
Labs saga — and reveals a growing
appetite for urban drama

014 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

Photographer : Galina Juliana Coada | Designer : Valarie Britz Interiors
Countertop and backsplash : Silver Stream Leather - Quartzite Brazil | Wood flooring : Parc Monceau Collection - Fontaine - French Oak

B EYO N D MATE R IAL

MAR B L E | P O R C E L AI N | M O S AI C | C E R AM I C | TE R R A Z ZO | H AR D W O O D

C I OT.C O M
Call for
Submissions
The 14th edition of AZURE’s international CATEGORIES
DESIGN
competition kicks off on January 2, 2024! ARCHITECTURE
URBAN DESIGN
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
The AZ Awards is a significant benchmark for excellence and innovation
INTERIORS
and is recognized worldwide for its influence in the global design and EXPERIENTIAL GRAPHIC DESIGN
architecture spheres. CONCEPTS
STUDENT WORK
This is a unique opportunity for designers, architects, urban designers,
developers, clients, manufacturers and students to get their work seen
by our jury of international experts and receive global recognition.
KEY SUBMISSION DATES
Winners and shortlisted entries get published online and in print in the January 2 Open for entries

AZ Awards Annual. January 31 Early Bird deadline

February 23 Submissions Close

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PRESENTED BY SPONSORED BY

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 Vol. 40 - No. 302 JAN/FEB 2024

Editor Chief Revenue Officer

Elizabeth Pagliacolo Naveen Pathak
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Art Director
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Junior Designer Director Marketing & Partnerships

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Copy Editor Marketing Coordinator

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Contributors
Veronika Aquila, James Brittain, Office & Accounting Manager
James Champion, Paola Corsini, Parissa Navabi
François Coquerel, Anuj Daga, Bruce Damonte,
Mario Depicolzuane, Doublespace, Administration
Giovanna Dunmall, Ståle Eriksen, Emil Fagander, Olga Chernyak
Rachel Gallaher, Ekansh Goel, Brigida Gonzalez,
Stefano Graziani, Sophie Aliece Hollis,
Dahlia Katz, Naho Kubota, Nic Lehoux,
Sean Maciel, Matthew MacKay-Lyons,
Adrian Madlener, Karolina Modig, Josh Partee,
Ema Peter, Amrit Phull, Carolyn Pioro,
Petr Polák, Corinna Reeves, Anna Roos,
Sanam Samanian, Timothy Schenck

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COO
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Sergio Sgaramella, CEO

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 itmlimn design story
Ph: T. Pagani

Marenco sofa design Mario Marenco

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From the Editor
Homing
Instinct
Our lives are constantly evolving. As we grow older, our desire for absolute
independence might yield to the longing to be closer to our elders, or we might wish
to downsize and live in a high-rise in the bustling city — if we could only afford the
cost of admission. The best architecture accommodates new needs and even brings
into being the novel living arrangements that people increasingly yearn for. In this
issue, we highlight homes that encourage personal expression and communal
engagement — all of them specific to their particular contexts.
In San Francisco, a house tucked into the neighbourhood fabric rises to a peaked
roof that mimics its peers yet stands out with an uncanny floating appearance.
In the U.K., a garden suite hews to the confines of its footprint while boasting a
capacious character, its butterfly roof containing an array of soothing spaces.
In Pune, India, a house for the families of two brothers delineates rooms for privacy
between the two households while offering them generous-hearted volumes
where they can come together. And in Basel, an apartment building conjured from
an old warehouse provides its residents with vibrant spaces indoors and out —
and the surrounding area with a jolt of energy.
Recently, the typology of the house has come under scrutiny. When one thinks of
“house,” they likely picture a self-contained building for a family, occupying a plot
of valuable (and increasingly scarce) land. At Azure, we’ve by turns celebrated and
interrogated the house. We’ve marvelled at technical and aesthetic feats performed
in residential architecture, and we’ve presented alternatives that embrace urban
densification: multi-units, mixed-use developments, laneway suites and so on. As a
profession, architecture cannot repudiate the house; it is too foundational in both
culture and imagination. But it can bring the level of artistry concentrated on single-
family houses to more democratic types of dwelling that certainly need it.
This conversation plays out in our profile on Brian MacKay-Lyons, who has made
his name over 40 years by holding up as worthy of praise the humble vernacular
of traditional East Coast buildings. His houses are almost pure in their adherence
to an economy of materials; they seem inevitable to their landscapes. Now that
MacKay-Lyons has completed Queen’s Marque, a major mixed-use development on
the Halifax Harbour, we can see how his ethos applies to a larger public scale.
Can the house still be a lab for working out problems, with solutions that can
be applied to other realms? In this issue, we present projects where the answer is
a resounding yes.
Elizabeth Pagliacolo, Editor
 © 2023 Keilhauer

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First +
Foremost
People, projects and products you need to know about now

022 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

Both Sides Now
Christ & Gantenbein’s new bridge in Aarau, Switzerland, doesn’t just connect two different sides of
the Aare river — it also narrows the gaps between several periods of local architectural history. Working
in collaboration with engineering studios WMM Ingenieure and Henauer Gugler, the Basel-based
architecture practice developed a row of five variable-width arches that are a marvel of contemporary
construction. Yet the structure’s light grey board-formed concrete also successfully harmonizes
with Aarau’s older stone buildings, which include no shortage of medieval castles.
In another deft balance of past and present, a portion of the new infrastructure partially rests
on two caissons that were preserved from the river’s previous overpass, which was built in 1949.
(Earlier iterations date all the way back to the Roman Empire.) Spanning 119 metres long and 17.5
metres wide, the present-day bridge accommodates automobile traffic, pedestrians and cyclists
with equal grace. In addition to revamping the riverbank on either end, the project also encompasses
fresh landscaping updates (by August + Margrith Künzel) to a pair of riverside urban promenades.
Thirteen years in the making, the result is a civic landmark for the ages. _ERIC MUTRIE

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 023

_Rummel _Stockholm, Sweden _Henning Larsen and Millimeter Arkitekter Site Visit

Woodland
Magic
DESIGNED FOR FUTURE DISASSEMBLY, A
GLULAM PAVILION ADDS TO A BURGEONING
NEIGHBOURHOOD’S MOMENTUM
STORY _Karolina Modig
PHOTOS _Emil Fagander

1. THE SETTING
There is a slight smell of forest in the air in Stockholm’s
Hagastaden district, where mass timber high-rises
are gradually reaching full height and welcoming their
first residents. As part of the neighbourhood’s ongoing
evolution, the city has been working with develop-
ers to reimagine the formerly industrial street Norra
Stationsgatan as a kind of cultural corridor lined with
architecturally striking pavilions. Commissioned to lead
one of these projects, real estate development firm
Humlegården Fastigheter set out to create a destina-
tion dining spot.

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 025

Site Visit _Rummel _Stockholm, Sweden _Henning Larsen and Millimeter Arkitekter

2. THE BRIEF 3. THE DESIGN

In line with local planning regulations, the developer The result, a slanted building with a burnt-wood exterior and
was given a wedge-shaped site for a building that had glulam frame, features floor-to-ceiling glazing that builds to
to transition from one to two storeys. Humlegården a narrow eight-metre-tall window on the pavilion’s western
Fastigheter turned to Copenhagen-based architecture end. On the eastern side, the proportions are reversed,
studio — and timber specialists — Henning Larsen, who with a gable width of eight metres and a height equal to
responded with a proposal for a continuous sloping the width of the western window. The gentle downward
roof. “We wanted to create a very long, narrow space; movement and sideways stretching that emerges from
on one end, low and intimate, and on the other, almost a the transition between these two ends creates a
lofty cathedral,” says Per Ebbe Hansson, the firm’s lead space that’s part holy temple, part stranded (but
design architect. stately) ship. While the pavilion is permanent,
Henning Larsen performed a life cycle analysis to
make sure that its materials could someday
be disassembled and re-used if need be.
“We made all the screws visible,” says
Hansson. “Even just for maintenance
reasons, it makes it easy to access.”

4. THE DETAILS
Once plans for the overall structure were in place,
Humlegården reached out to local restaurateurs 5. THE SCENE
Christopher Ellertsson and Robin Moderato, who in In addition to its spiritual dining room and
turn tapped architecture studio Millimeter Arkitekter more blingy bar, Rummel also includes an
to create the warm dining ambience that now defines intimate downstairs dining area. Ellertsson
their restaurant, Rummel. “We decided to work a lot has noticed that returning guests tend
with textures and colouring in creative ways, keeping in to move around the space between visits.
mind the lack of solid walls,” says interior architect Filip “If they sat in the ‘cathedral’ last time,
Berglund, pointing to elements finished in red marble, they may want to sit in the bar area next,”
polished brass and padded olive-green leather. Other he says. In a neighbourhood under trans-
features — like lighting brackets mounted to the ceiling formation — and a building that already
beams and server stations placed between the wall anticipates its next life — it’s only natural
columns — highlight the surrounding architecture. to want to change it up.

026 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

l ign e- rose t.co m

Odessa.
Mauro Lipparini
Made in France

R E N D E Z - V O U S W I T H Y O U
Landscape
Day’s End, a 2021 public artwork by David
Hammons (one of the largest such installations in
NYC), traces the contours of the Pier 52 shed that
once occupied the site with stainless-steel tubes.
Beach Day
IN NYC, A NEW RIVERSIDE PARK BALANCES
FORWARD-THINKING RESILIENCE STRATEGIES
WITH THOUGHTFUL HISTORICAL REFERENCES
STORY _Sophie Aliece Hollis
PHOTOS _Timothy Schenck
The park’s soccer field is bordered by bathroom facilities, an
outdoor gym, a Little League baseball field and a dog run.
028 _ _JAN/FEB 2024
_Gansevoort Peninsula _NYC, New York _Field Operations
A single oyster can filter up to 190
litres of water a day. Gansevoort
Peninsula’s shoreline now features
20 million of them.
After an especially hot New York summer,
the October opening of Gansevoort Peninsula
made waves with an unprecedented offering:
Manhattan’s first public beach. Designed by
local landscape architecture and urban design
firm Field Operations, the newly minted
2.2-hectare green space is one of the final
components of Hudson River Park — a 6.44-
kilometre network of waterfront destinations
gradually developed over the past 25 years.
And while it provides city dwellers no shortage
of sand (1,090 tonnes, to be exact), it also
delivers so much more.
Located opposite the Whitney Museum of
American Art, Gansevoort Peninsula stands out
among Hudson River Park’s two-dozen-plus
public spaces in that it is built on solid ground —
specifically, on the site of a former sanitation
facility — as opposed to on piers. This allowed
for unique edge treatments, like the resilient
rip-rap beach constructed along the park’s
southern border with massive boulders that block
the harsh currents created by passing ships.
Drawing directly on feedback gathered during
the project’s public consultations, the shoreline
also includes a series of tidal pools and a slope
designed to assist kayakers looking for an easy
launch spot. “In a city with such limited green
space,” says project manager Sanjukta Sen,
“the list of requests from the community was
extensive and varied.” Sen and her team set
Once lined with shipping
warehouses, lumberyards
and saloons, New York’s
13th Avenue was eventually
cut away to create more
harbour space for large
ships. The western edge
of Gansevoort Peninsula
honours the road’s history
with the 13th Avenue
Promenade.
out to incorporate as many of them as possible.
Those who voiced a desire for a conventional
beach experience, for instance, will now find
it on the sandy expanse just behind the park’s
rocky barrier, where bright blue umbrellas
shelter inviting Adirondack chairs. Craving
a waterfront picnic instead? Separating the
beach from a sizable grassy knoll, a pine-lined
boardwalk stretches from the park entry over
to its westernmost edge, which hosts custom-
designed benches and tables fabricated by
Landscape Forms. And at the heart of the
park lies one of the community’s most highly
requested features: a U13 soccer field.
On the peninsula’s northern edge, Field
Operations implemented a salt marsh, along
with hardy native grasses and plantings. The
team partnered with local non-profit Billion
Oyster Project to install reef balls and oyster
gabions seeded with 20 million juvenile oysters.
The growth of these reefs will not only protect
the park from erosion but also restore biodiver-
sity, naturally filter the water and serve as an
opportunity to educate the public about the
environmental benefits of intertidal ecosystems.
“The combination of visible and not-so-visible
elements of resilience is the most exciting
aspect of this project,” says Sen. “It might seem
novel now, but I hope that, in the future,
incorporating ecological services and elements
in parks will increasingly become the norm.”
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Material Science

Dream Weaver
CRAFT TECHNIQUES INSPIRE THE WOVEN
STRUCTURE OF A 3D-PRINTED RECYCLED
PLASTIC ARMCHAIR
STORY _Adrian Madlener
PHOTOS _James Champion

Debuted at London’s Material

Matters fair, the Loopy lounge
chair is digitally woven over a
single day using a proprietary
production process.

Working with plastic that has been through multiple rounds of

The Process:

1
recycling poses a big design challenge. While polymers remain Loopy combines ancient weaving techniques —
cooperative after being recycled once and even twice, they in particular, the willow style often used in knitting
and crochet — with the latest technology.
become far less stable after a third pass — making them much less
likely to produce sturdy results with traditional manufacturing tech-
niques like injection moulding. One solution is to develop designs
and production methods that are more forgiving to these

2
material limitations. It’s this idea that led East London design Guided by a calibrated algorithm (itself
and craft studio Gareth Neal and Rotterdam research and based on a handcrafted pattern), a 3D
printer feeds thick strands of molten
design studio The New Raw (run by Panos Sakkas and material into interlocking loops.
Foteini Setaki) to partner on a two-year project. Funded
by Better Factory through a 2019 European Union grant
aimed at fostering sustainable manufacturing methods, the
trio experimented with faster, less risky ways to 3D-print

3
materials that maintain greater structural stability. The chair must be produced in a
Their breakthrough involves continuously looping upcycled single go; any printing interruption
requires the process to restart.
plastic into a woven form that blends traditional and digital craft.
“Researching the methods used in basketry, knitting and crocheting,
we figured out how we could utilize the capabilities of a robot arm
to create strong joints through woven loops and hooking,” explains
Neal. “Instead of building a surface through layers — the

4
conventional 3D-printing method — our approach threads By threading coils together, the automated
forms into nests,” adds Sakkas. robot gradually weaves an intricate plastic knit
that’s strong enough to sit on.
During the 2023 London Design Festival, Neal and The
New Raw debuted the Loopy lounge chair. Made from a mini-
mum of 80 per cent recycled plastic polymers — including
some that had been thrice recycled — the undulating
pink lounge chair is an efficient use of an otherwise
Using less material than a solid plastic chair (and

5
unstable material. Here, the designers reveal their
producing no additional waste), Loopy can be
production process, which they plan to use for other fabricated in any colour on demand, meaning
types of digitally woven furniture down the road. there’s no need to allocate space for stock.

030 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

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Insight
Follow the Leader
Joachim
Kornbek
Engell-Hansen
Brand and Design
Director,
AUDO
COPENHAGEN
“I had the privilege to work closely with my grandfa-
ther (the founder of Audo Copenhagen’s predecessor
label, Menu) and my father, who had led the brand
direction since he was 18. Since joining the company
over 12 years ago, I have grown alongside the brand
and taken over as creative lead.”
What does the next chapter of your brand look like?
“We introduced Audo Copenhagen in 2023 as a
merger between Denmark’s Menu and By Lassen. A
renaming can sound like a big change, but it wound
up being part of our natural evolution. Ten years ago,
Menu was focused on kitchen accessories. Gradually,
we transformed it into a minimalist lifestyle brand. At
first, everything was white and black steel. Now, since
I have taken on my current role, we are adding a lot
of warmth to interiors. Audo Copenhagen’s aesthetic
philosophy is soft minimalism.”
“It’s hard to choose, because we are proud to part-
ner with so many contemporary talents, but Norm
Architects are frequent collaborators who designed
some of our very first pieces, as well as more recent
favourites such as the Plinth collection.”
032 _ _JAN/FEB 2024
TOP INDUSTRY BRASS REVEAL HOW THEY’RE TAKING
LEGACY BRANDS IN EXCITING NEW DIRECTIONS
AS TOLD TO Sydney Shilling
Emmanuel
Diemoz
Co-owner,
TOLIX
How did you get your start in design?
“My previous experience was in fashion. When I
joined Balmain back in 2000, it was a heritage com-
pany but no longer trendy or edgy — and so over
my 17 years there, everything had to be rebuilt. Tolix
is a similar story: It has been around since 1927 but
has been stagnant for the past 10 years.”
“With my co-owner Antoine Bejui, I have gone through
the archives to better understand what our predeces-
sor wanted to do with this brand. We plan to maintain
production here in France because it’s important in
terms of sustainability and quality. But we’d also like
to partner with contemporary designers and transition
away from the industrial look and feel to make Tolix
a global lifestyle authority. We need to introduce new
materials. Coming from fashion, we will incorporate
fabrics, leather and maybe even wood.”
What’s your favourite product?
“I’m sure everybody
expects me to say the
Marais A chair, but I
actually prefer the T37
chair, which we recently
reissued. It was created
by Xavier Pauchard for
the 1937 World Expo in
Paris and remains a time-
less, enduring example
of steel design.”
Antoine and Olivier Roset
Cousins and Co-CEOs,
LIGNE ROSET
OR: “Growing up in a family business, you’re always
inside the beast. But officially, I joined Ligne Roset
15 years ago after first working in private equity.”
AR: “I started off working for the watch company IWC.
I moved to Ligne Roset 17 years ago, and Olivier and I
became co-CEOs last March.”
OR: “We are introducing fewer collections now than we
were in the ’80s — still being creative and supporting
original ideas and products that define design culture,
but without overproducing.”
AR: “It’s about scaling up by scaling down and making
sure that sustainability is at the heart of production. Our
10-year goal is for carbon-neutral factories, and we’re
investing R&D in green materials and re-using offcuts.
In today’s generation, where everything has to be fast,
it’s important to spend time getting things right.”
OR: “Ploum.
Ronan and Erwan
PORTRAITS BY MARIO DEPICOLZUANE (JOACHIM);
Bouroullec’s careers
were just taking off when they came to us with an idea
for a contemporary English chesterfield.”
FRANÇOIS COQUEREL (EMMANUEL)
AR: “Facett, by the same
designers. It was a prod-
uct that challenged us,
and it represents a sym-
biosis between manufac-
turer and designer.”
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 CERSAIE Best in Show

SEGNI
For Lea Ceramiche, architect
Ferruccio Laviani sketched a series
of imperfect grid patterns and
linear motifs that celebrate human
handiwork in an increasingly
A.I.-driven world.

New Building Blocks

ITALY’S ANNUAL CERAMICS FAIR UNVEILS
TILES DESIGNED FOR THE LONG HAUL
BY _Eric Mutrie

Home to the oldest university in the world, Bologna, Italy, is a lesson in longevity.
Heading out for dinner during the city’s annual ceramic tile fair each September,
it’s not unusual to wind up in a restaurant that has spent several decades operat-
ing out of the same centuries-old building. During this year’s 40th edition of
Cersaie, one of the spots on my own after-hours pasta crawl was Trattoria Trebbi,
which has served heartwarming bowls of tortellini in brodo since 1946. Contrast
that with the average North American dining establishment, which is lucky to
make it just five years.
All of this came to mind in the wake of a presentation held on the second day
of Cersaie by Mauro Rullo, head of sustainability for the Italian ceramics associa-
tion. Because of the heat needed to fire ceramics, tiles remain high in embodied
carbon even as manufacturers work to reduce their energy consumption.
(Since 1995, the industry has decreased its CO2 emissions per square metre by
57 per cent, helped in part by manufacturing innovations that allow thinner tiles
to achieve the same strength as their thicker counterparts.)
The sustainability merits of ceramics emerge only once you factor in their
long-term durability. As Rullo put it during his talk, thanks to the 50-plus-year
lifespan of ceramic tile, a lot of the time, “You decide its end-of-life.” (In another
eco perk, discarded material can then be recycled into aggregate to be used
in asphalt or for railways.) With that in mind, the real challenge becomes
investing in a design that can hold its own for long enough to leverage these
performance benefits.
That said, it’s important not to equate timelessness with safe design. To evolve
into a true institution, a restaurant must cultivate a distinct sense of place — and
memorable, evocative finishes play a key role. Inspired by everything from free-
hand sketches to melted wax, Cersaie’s most poetic introductions had the poten-
tial to set the scene for beloved spaces that will look just as inspiring in 2024
as they will several decades down the road. And if you’re working on a restaurant
project and want to bolster your client’s chances at prolonged success, tell them
to put tortellini in brodo on the menu.

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 035

Best in Show CERSAIE

I The Built Form

Moving beyond realistic
stone- or wood-look offerings,
designers approach the
industry’s non-ceramic
material palette as a muse for
more idiosyncratic styles.

1. MAJESTY
Available in 21 lacquered colours and two
extra-large formats (60 by 120 centime-
tres or 120 by 280 centimetres), Sodai’s
surreal pattern mimics the veining of
marble but in playfully unnatural hues like
Denim or Musk (shown). 2

2. CATTEDRALE
Ceramica Vietrese partnered with
Milanese design studio (A+B)’s Annalisa
Dominoni and Benedetto Quaquaro to
adapt stained glass cathedral windows
into hand-painted geometric squares that
look straight out of a Wes Anderson film.

3. TWO
41zero42 honours decorative Roman
mosaics with a jumbo 120-by-120-centi-
metre tile offered in six different colour-
ways and suitable for use on walls or as
flooring in areas of light traffic.
3

1
II Slow Burn
Ethereal designs with a subtle sense of movement capture
the quiet beauty found in moments of deep reflection.

1. WINDY
Decoratori Bassanesi’s collaboration with Nendo uses rows of chiselled
grooves to mimic the gentle ripples formed as gusts blow over still waters.
Choose from four different compositions and four neutral shades.

2. IRIDEA
Degradé, a standout pattern from Marca Corona’s new pastel-themed col-
lection, reinterprets a sunset in a calming gradient pattern. Adding to the
wallpaper-like look of the 50-by-120-centimetre tiles, each one is imprinted
with a subtle grosgrain texture.

3. CERA
Suitable for both walls and flooring, Ceramiche Refin’s soft-to-the-touch tiles
evoke the waxy remnants of a candlelit evening. Offered in three colourways,
the design achieves a sense of depth with a blend of light and dark areas.

036 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

 2
III Kaleidoscopic Wonder
Playfully abstract geometric
expressions are an invitation
to view the world through
fresh eyes.

1. CALEIDO
Ceramica Bardelli pays tribute to the
elements: water, earth, wind and fire
(shown). Hand-painted with a stencil, the
20-by-20-centimetre tiles feature a
mix of glossy and matte-finished portions
that make for dynamic reflections.

2. MARVEL MERAVIGLIA
Zaha Hadid Architects brings the firm’s
signature deconstructivist style to Atlas
Concorde’s marble-effect Marvel collec-
tion, exploding a two-toned crystalline
pattern into a series of stray diamonds.

3. ITALIAN LANDSCAPE
Working with Ceramica Fioranese,
23Bassi looked to the landscape and
architecture of three Italian cities — 3
Florence, L’Aquila and Siena — to develop
a series of blue- and terracotta-tinted
graphics that can be mixed and matched
on walls or flooring.
1

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 037

Groundbreaker _The Leaf _Winnipeg, Manitoba _KPMB Architects

PHOTO BY LOREM IPSUM DOLORE

038 _ _JAN/FEB 2024


A New Leaf
WINNIPEG REIMAGINES ITS BOTANICAL SANCTUARY AS A
SPECTACULAR SHOWCASE OF NATURE — AND BUILDING SCIENCE
STORY _Kendra Jackson PHOTOS _Ema Peter
Sweltering temperatures and lush tropical rainforests are not
characteristics that commonly come to mind when thinking of
Winnipeg, Manitoba, one of Canada’s coldest cities. But they
are exactly what can be found when meandering through The
Leaf, a new landmark in the Prairie city’s sprawling 450-hectare
Assiniboine Park. An integral part of an overall redevelopment
plan for the park that has been underway for close to 15 years,
this addition comprises four separate yet interconnected
botanical biomes home to hundreds of diverse plant species,
PHOTO BY LOREM IPSUM DOLORE
all under one spectacular spiralling roof.
Built to replace the site’s original conservatory, which dated
back to 1914 and hadn’t been upgraded in decades, The
Leaf biodiversity gardens were designed by KPMB (in close
partnership with Architecture49, Blackwell Structural Engineers
and HTFC Planning & Design). The firm was intent on delivering
Along with its central
greenhouse, The Leaf
includes a vegetable garden
that grows crops served in
an on-site restaurant, plus
another 12 hectares of public
gardens landscaped by
HTFC Planning & Design.
something extraordinary. “It could not be a ‘normal’ green-
house,” says architect and partner Mitchell Hall. “We wanted
to create a transcendent experience, one that centres nature
and sustainability and is welcoming to everyone.”
To make good on this promise, the designers looked to
the natural world for inspiration, specifically the Fibonacci
sequence. This led to the formation of a glass-wrapped organic
structure with a fantastical roof that mimics the spiral net of a
nautilus shell or sunflower. While glass was an obvious consid-
eration for the greenhouse roof as well, it had its limitations.
“It’s incredibly heavy and would have resulted in big beams
that would cast structural shadows,” says Hall. “We wanted to
minimize shadows and maximize sunlight.” After also factoring in
the extreme 80-degree temperature fluctuations that the region
undergoes throughout the year — and through consultation
JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 039
Groundbreaker _The Leaf _Winnipeg, Manitoba _KPMB Architects

Supported by a cable net system, the

building’s ethylene tetrafluoroethylene
roof delivers the transparency of glass
but with far better insulation.

with climate engineers from German firm Transsolar — it was decided that ethylene
tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) was the most efficient and resilient material to work with.
To that end, a 33-metre-tall steel diagrid was erected to support three layers
of ETFE; this created a quilt-like expanse where the individual “cushions” are
continuously filled with air to optimize solar gain and maintain consistent thermal
performance for the two climate extremes inside: subtropical and Mediterranean.
Integrated mist fans provide both humidification for the plants and comfortable
cooling for the people, while a watering system carefully calibrates soil moisture.
All visual noise in the form of mechanical and electrical components was relegated
to the apex of the structure, keeping sightlines completely unobstructed and
putting the focus entirely on the gardens; natural ventilation and an open-loop geo-
thermal system contribute to the building’s sustainability, while strategically placed
light reflectors overhead bounce illumination off the transparent material and can be
programmed to mimic moonlight, the northern lights and other natural phenomena.
In all, upward of 12,000 flowers, trees and shrubs are spread throughout the
Hartley and Heather Richardson Tropical Biome and the Mediterranean Biome (which
has already played host to everything from yoga and meditation groups to symphony
performances). The other two biomes are the Shirley Richardson Butterfly Garden,
which is accessed by an upper-level canopy walk that offers a bird’s-eye view of the
verdant gardens below, and the Babs Asper Display House, a gallery for seasonally
rotating displays of artistic floral arrangements.

LEFT: An 18-metre-tall Ultimately a building for the community, The Leaf pro-
waterfall designed vides an opportunity for locals and visitors to connect
by landscape architect with and experience the natural world in an immersive
Dan Euser anchors
the greenhouse’s way and has quickly become the new crown jewel of
Tropical Biome. the parkland.

040 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

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Spotlight

Building
Envelope
_Post Rock _Statement-Making Ceramic _Wood-Effect Cladding EDITOR _Kendra Jackson

Woven Wonder
A CLOAK OF CARBON FIBRE MAKES AN
INTRIGUING STATEMENT AT A TEXTILE
RESEARCH FACILITY IN GERMANY
STORY _Sean Maciel
PHOTOS _Brigida Gonzalez

PHOTO BY LOREM IPSUM DOLORE

Texoversum’s impressive facade consists of a lattice of

white glass fibres and black carbon fibres that have been
robotically woven together. It was produced by FibR, a
firm born of the research at the University of Stuttgart.

042 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

Seeming to float free, the lace-like facade appears ethereal and delicate. A world assembled from these panels, the fibre composite system can create dramatic
first, the woven fibre structure is appropriately innovative for Texoversum, the shapes without generating any additional waste through formwork.
new textile-focused teaching and research facility that it wraps at the Reutlingen Wrapping Texoversum in the repeating five tiles did present a few challenges.
University of applied sciences in Germany. “We had to meet the very strict requirements of the German building authorities
The facility’s industrial design makes thoughtful use of the enveloping textile and conduct many tests on durability, load-bearing capacity and fire resistance. We
as both organizational strategy and interior finish; staircases and collective seat- adapted the resin to meet these requirements,” says Knippers.
ing areas crisscross the open and functional split-level floor plans, and a multi- The sculptural facade is more than an expression
storey mural of vibrant gradients links them all together. “Our mission for each of of the program within. “It constitutes the external sun
The unique structure of the
our projects is to develop a contextual dialogue with the spatial circumstances,” protection of the building, which has to fulfil stringent
facade frames peephole-
explains Sebastian Thomas, architect and head of project planning at Munich- like views from inside shading requirements in compliance with the German
based Allmannwappner, the firm that took on lead role as planner and architect for (below) and provides the building code,” explains Menges. “In addition, the self-
glass and concrete building
the building and its interior. “The building combines different special aspects to supporting fibre elements provide the structural balus-
with fire resistance,
develop an identity for the site and the users.” shading and weather trades for the balconies and frame the view towards
As the most visible external aspect of that identity, the spectacular fibre-com- protection (above). the surrounding landscape.”
posite facade adopts the textile as a literal architectural component. The construc-
tion technique is the culmination of years of experimentation and development at
the University of Stuttgart by professors Achim Menges and Jan Knippers, who
executed the facade system in collaboration with Allmannwappner through their
respective firms, Menges Scheffler Architekten and Jan Knippers Ingenieure.
The web-like form consists of outwardly identical triangular tiles with five dif-
ferent inner fibre body templates spanning up to four metres in length (plus two
trapezoidal corner elements), which were constructed using a robotic coreless
filament winding process (pioneered and developed at the University of Stuttgart)
that freely places fibrous filaments between two rotating winding scaffolds; the inter-
action of these filaments results in the predetermined shapes without the need for
moulds or a core. “The carbon fibres have roughly the stiffness of structural steel
and take on the main part of the loads,” explains Knippers, “while the glass fibres
are significantly weaker and serve primarily as a mould for the carbon fibres.” When

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 043

Spotlight _Building Envelope

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They are offered in two sizes (and can be cut to size) and have tongue-and-groove
edges that hide fixings and are easy to assemble and install.

Dark
↑ PREFA FX.12 ALUMINUM PANELS
Matter
Nestled within a conifer woodland just outside of
IN SHADES OF DEEP BROWN,
Prague, Forest Cabin, by local firm Archicraft, was
BLACK AND GREY, THESE CLADDING
designed to reflect — and respect — its surround-
OPTIONS ARE RICH IN BOTH
ings. Opting for the durability and nearly negligible
COLOUR AND CHARACTER
maintenance requirements of aluminum shingles, BY _Kendra Jackson
the architects chose FX.12 panels from Austrian
brand Prefa for both the gable roof and facade, and
the Prefalz system for the roof’s flat portions — all
in dark brown to give the entire structure a seamless
look. Each panel has both longitudinal and trans-
verse edging sections, which lends them a unique
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PHOTOS BY PETR POLÁK (FOREST CABIN);

Developed for commercial applications but equally suitable for residential proj-
JOSH PARTEE (GLADYS VALLEY)

ects, the new deep black tone appears understated from afar, but its texture and
raw beauty shine through when viewed up close. The low-maintenance product is
resistant to rot, insects and fire (Class A rated), and the new finish will maintain its
dramatic impact over time without weathering or patinating. Acrylic Black was origi-
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building by Yost Grube Hall Architecture (shown).

044 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

WesternWindowSystems.com Design Better

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Spotlight _Building Envelope

LEFT AND BELOW: Following the rolling form of the brick,

the entry and garage doors are “draped” in rippling
custom-milled wood.

In Toronto’s Forest Hill, Canvas House is an outlier.

Surrounded by stately Georgian homes, the residence
(which is also a private art gallery) is shrouded in a
meticulously sculpted and undulating brick facade that
signals a departure from the familiar. It also exempli-
fies how Partisans — the architecture firm behind the
unconventional expression — is able to manipulate a
traditional building material to create shock value.
With advances in automated assembly, 3D printing,
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with local mason Finbarr Sheehan and his crew (which
included Duffy + Associates and Picco), who individually
placed just over 16,200 bricks — one brick type in three
A BRICK-CLAD FACADE BREAKS different dimensions — onto repeating five-brick mod-
FROM CONVENTION IN A ules in a custom square-shaped “Voxel-Bond” pattern
TORONTO NEIGHBOURHOOD reminiscent of the dot paintings of artist Larry Poons.
STORY _Sanam Samanian Laid over two hundred sections, the bricks draw the eye
PHOTOS _Doublespace across the surface in a frantic dance, creating the illu-
sion of movement. Aside from aesthetics, the facade’s
rhythm also serves two functions: It swells outward as
an overhang above the door and recedes to allow light
into the home around a second-floor skylight.
The resulting composition is an ode to the elegance
of Georgian architecture. It finds its way inside through
gently curved walls that blend seamlessly with the
ceilings, as well as architectural fixtures like sinuously

The calculated patterning

carved baseboards, door handles and handrails. Light-
of the brick modules filled and mostly white, the interiors offer fluid, contem-
has an effect similar to plative and calm spaces that, in juxtaposition with the
staccato marks, lending
the exterior a sense
crafted masonry work of the exterior, make the Canvas
of movement. House an apt home for its residents and their captivat-
ing contemporary art collection.

046 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

Misterio Gold
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For a creative couple in a small hamlet
of Long Island, Brooklyn architecture
practice Worrell Yeung designed a two-
storey addition to their main house, with
an artist studio up top and an exhibition
space (and garage) below. Wrapped
in 1.2-metre-tall ribbon windows from
Neon Energy (a combination of the
Ultra fixed and tilt-and-turn models), the
upper workshop is flooded with natural
light and possesses 360-degree views
of the surrounding tree canopies. To
achieve the continuous run of windows,
the architects worked with Silman struc-
tural engineers and devised a series of
small steel columns and steel rod cross-
braces for lateral support that perfectly
matched the mullions.

Clear Outlooks
WITH SLIM FRAMES ENGINEERED TO ENABLE LARGE PANES
OF GLASS, THESE WINDOWS OFFER UNOBSTRUCTED VIEWS
TO THE OUTSIDE BY _Kendra Jackson

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048 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

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Spotlight
Two Faced
THE ILLUECA HEALTH CENTRE’S
CHAMELEON-LIKE CERAMIC FACADE
CONSTANTLY ADAPTS TO ITS ENVIRONMENT
STORY _Sydney Shilling
How to design a building that stands out yet melds
seamlessly with its context? This was precisely the
challenge Zaragoza firm Pemán y Franco Arquitectos
faced in creating the Illueca Health Centre. Located in a
developing area of the once-tiny Spanish town, the pri-
mary care facility sits on an almost 1,400-square-metre
plot of land and will service 11 nearby communities.
“Until a few years ago, Illueca was an agricultural town.
Its industrialization began with manufacturing footwear,
which became the economic engine of the area,”
explains co-founder and architect Luis Franco Lahoz.
“As the town grew, it needed to absorb the increase in
population that industrial development would bring.”
050 _ _JAN/FEB 2024
_Building Envelope
As one of the only buildings in the
planned urban development to be completed
thus far, the health centre — which has
a premium street frontage — had to make a
strong impression. But the recent economic
downturn and ensuing construction delays
put the region’s growth on pause. Therefore,
the design needed to hold its own until the
surrounding five-storey residential structures
were built and be versatile enough to contrib-
ute to a cohesive whole. The answer: a build-
ing envelope that offers two facades in one.
To that end, the architects sourced an
innovative ventilated porcelain facade by
Spanish brand Faveker. Combining flat and
volumetric extruded tiles from the GA 16
collection mounted onto a metal support
substructure, the lightweight system features
horizontal joints that allow the tiles to overlap
in a tongue-and-groove formation, keeping
the air chamber watertight and improving the building’s
longevity. With its high-performance thermal proper-
ties — especially important in Illueca, which
experiences large temperature swings
throughout the year — the envelope
reduces energy consumption by up
to 40 per cent. The tiles themselves
include up to 46 per cent recycled
content, and at the end of its life,
the system can be dismantled and
recycled once again.
The exterior’s stark white window
frames jut out slightly, lending its
clean-lined profile a dynamic three-dimensional qual-
ity. Made of a composite material with an enforced
thermostable resin skin and a high-density insulation
core, the casings (single units that include the lintel,
jambs and sills) eliminate thermal bridges by reducing
the need for joints.
But the facade boasts more than just impressive
performance. Each tile is finished with a stunning
metallic effect that evokes the titanium used to make
it — and creates a striking optical illusion (the architects
carried out multiple colour and finish tests before
landing on the textured treatment). In the sunlight, the
facade gleams in shades of vibrant turquoise, while
on overcast days, it transforms into a matte charcoal
monolith that recedes into the existing brick-clad
residences that surround it. “The selected surface
finish also aims to establish a bridge between local
tradition and contemporary modern expression,”
explains Franco Lahoz. “It was about finding a finish
that would evoke the uniqueness typical of a public
facility while integrating into an environment dominated
by traditional brick.” While the ceramic material nods
to Spain’s vernacular design techniques,
Pemán y Franco’s interpretation is
anything but traditional.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEMÁN Y FRANCO
A titanium-effect glaze gives
the porcelain tile an ever-
shifting expression dependent
on weather conditions, angle
of approach and time of day,
contrasting with the crisp
white composite window
frames (above).
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Spotlight _Building Envelope

Inspired by Rock
Post Rock initially drew its inspira-
tion from plastiglomerate, a rock

Modern-Day that naturally forms when ocean plastics meld

with elements such as sand, seashells and
wood. Post Rock’s thermoforming process

Alchemy
involves heating moulds with controlled motion
to blend the plastics in a way that mirrors
geological processes. This results in a distinc-
tive marbling reminiscent of sedimentary rock,
A RESEARCH TEAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN in which one can “read” the rock’s formation
IS DEVELOPING A RECYCLED PLASTIC PANEL TO RIVAL from both natural and human-made inputs.
NATURAL STONE AND REDUCE WASTE
STORY _Amrit Phull
Waste Made Visible
Amid the ongoing climate crisis, it
Can recycled plastic convincingly mimic stone? Faculty at the Taubman
is increasingly crucial for designers
College of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Michigan,
and builders to select materials with an eye on
are fast at work turning post-consumer plastic into stone-like panels
their life cycle and potential for re-use. Post
for applications such as facades, rainscreens and curtain walls. Thom
Rock combines various plastic types and sizes,
Moran and Meredith Miller, professors and T+E+A+M co-founders,
creating a heterogeneous, chunky aesthetic.
have collaborated with fabrication research specialist (and Taubman
By showcasing plastic fragments, Post Rock
lecturer) Christopher Humphrey to develop Post Rock, a promising
encourages an awareness of the material life
solution to help reduce the building sector’s carbon footprint.
cycles at play, underscoring the idea that
Supported by a U.S. patent and an NSF grant, the team is advancing
recycled plastics can match the aesthetic
toward commercialization and plans to construct a two-storey mock-up
appeal of other cladding options with higher
in their fabrication lab in the near future, demonstrating how Post Rock
carbon emissions.
can reshape sustainable construction practices.

Mindful Reprocessing
Although recycled materials often
reduce carbon footprints, repro-
cessing and transportation can counter these
benefits. Post Rock proposes to minimize
energy-intensive reprocessing by sourcing
waste locally from automotive plants — plastic
that is already UV-stabilized, impact-tested
and flame-resistant. Further, unlike roto-
moulding, the robotically controlled method
brings the source of heat close to the surface
of the moulds rather than heating a large
volume of space and placing a mould within it.
The plastics used are infinitely recyclable, and
a modular panel design allows for reinstallation
on future buildings.

Tailored Stone
“Our process emulates the geo-
logical forces that create stone,
but it also allows for the direct placement of
materials into the mould by hand,” explains the
research team. Manual composition, combined
with the unpredictability of heat and move-
ment, delivers panels that are custom but
PHOTO COURTESY OF POST ROCK

never identical. Architects and designers

can selectively pick and place plastic aggre-
gates into the panels to create custom colour
combinations and surface graining, which
collectively form a stone-look facade distinct
from traditional cladding products.

052 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

 A CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND DESIGN

November 14 & 15, 2024

TORONTO

Presented in
partnership with CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Design can make our communities more resilient in the face
of climate change. But what are the most effective strategies for
achieving the biggest impact in the shortest time?

AZURE is accepting submissions for workshop presentations

from any practitioner or multi-disciplinary group with proven
results and/or viable approaches. We are interested in learning
about a wide range of projects and initiatives, including
landscapes that mitigate the effects of rising temperatures and
superstorms, housing that is both inclusive and sustainable,
and product lines that are carbon neutral.

DOWNLOAD OUR CALL FOR PROPOSALS TO FIND OUT MORE

AND SUBMIT BY JANUARY 15, 2024.

azuremagazine.com/conference
A HO
R US
T E
From the ashes of a fire, Mork-Ulnes
Architects crafts a gable-roofed house
in San Francisco in collaboration with
its clients — who boast a prodigious
collection of art and furniture

Story by Rachel Gallaher

Photography by Bruce Damonte
 The Silver Linings House fits into
its San Francisco neighbourhood of
Bernal Heights, yet stands out with
a black-stained cedar facade and a
roof that seems to float above a wide,
inset band of glazing.
PHOTO BY LOREM IPSUM DOLORE

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 055

TOP: Alison Damonte, one of the clients,
designed the home's built-in furniture.
Architect–artist Johanna Grawunder’s
Disky 7 pendant light hangs above
the kitchen island; Dirk van der Kooij’s
recycled plastic table is topped with
Pucci de Rossi's candelabra.
ABOVE LEFT: A sculptural stair with half-
polished chrome slats connects the top
level to the second storey. The cabinet’s
asymmetrical contour is a key motif.
RIGHT: The exuberant powder room on
the top level is wrapped in trompe l’oeil
wallpaper by Nobilis and features a custom
mirror by Andrew Molleur, a sink by Lusso
Stone and faucet by Lacava.
OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Across from the
kitchen, the living area looks onto a patio
and the hills of San Francisco beyond. The
burlwood coffee table is a Jean Claude
Mahey design, acquired from a French
vintage dealer in Marrakesh.
In 2010, after years of renting apartments in San Francisco, Bruce and red-tagged, so we had to do something about it,” Alison explains. That’s when
Alison Damonte were finally in a position to buy a house. The creative cou- the scope grew to a full-gut remodel, including the addition of a garage and
ple (Alison is an interior designer with a namesake studio and Bruce is an a third storey.
architectural photographer) started looking that fall, and by the beginning The three-bedroom residence, totalling 261.8 square metres, is aptly called
of November, they viewed a modest, one-storey home in Bernal Heights that the Silver Lining House. Designed as a gallery for the Damontes’ rich collection
made an impression. Surrounded by quintessential Victorian and Edwardian of art and furniture, it doubles as a laboratory of sorts for the couple’s creative
styles, the flat-roofed wooden structure, built in 1908 for a roofer and his fam- projects. From the outside, the home is a study in contrasts. It was important
ily of five, stood out on the steep San Francisco street. to everyone involved that it fit within the context of the neighborhood, but the
“The reality was that, even at that point, the real estate market in the city homeowners also hoped for something modern. Alison wanted a dark facade,
was tough,” Bruce says. “There were only a few neighbourhoods with anything so Mork-Ulnes clad the gabled three-storey in black-stained cedar.
in our price range. When we happened across this house, it was the first one “We took cues from the traditional San Francisco neighbourhood, using a
that felt like a step up for us.” The location, layout and historic charm were similar roof form, entry and massing as the Victorian and Edwardian homes
all convincing factors; the Damontes purchased it
within a couple weeks of their viewing. While there
was much to love about their new abode, the couple
wanted to make a few renovations, so they turned
to close friends Casper and Lexie Mork-Ulnes of San
Francisco– and Oslo-based Mork-Ulnes Architects.
“Bruce and Alison first came to us to renovate
the existing Edwardian kitchen and bathroom,”
says Casper Mork-Ulnes, who met Bruce more than
20 years ago (at the time, Bruce worked with Mork-
Ulnes’s brother in the management consulting
field). This initial brief would end up expanding
beyond what both clients and architects could ever
predict. By 2017, Mork-Ulnes and the Damontes
were deep in the redesign process when tragedy
struck. On Christmas Eve, a devastating fire, the
result of a next-door motorcycle explosion, caused
extensive heat and smoke damage to Bruce and
Alison’s home. They escaped unharmed but sud-
denly faced the prospect of rebuilding. “We had
been talking to Casper about the design for years,
but the fire was a big catalyst — the house was

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 057

058 _ _JAN/FEB 2024
OPPOSITE: This detail of
the spiral staircase shows
how it pulls sunshine from
a rooftop skylight all the
way down to the first floor.
The Crisp sconces are
from RBW.

RIGHT: In the second-level

“ladies’ lounge,” a disco
ball by Yolanda “Yo Yo”
Baker steals the scene.
The space is also furnished
with a Patterson Flynn rug,
a bulbous wood table by
Alma Allen, vintage Italian
chairs and a credenza by
USM Haller.

surrounding it,” the architect says. Aside from the dark exterior — table by Dirk van der Kooij and the custom disc light installation
which turns Victorian design elements into subtle patterning BELOW: The back of the by Johanna Grawunder that hangs above the kitchen island.
— large bands of windows add a graphic, contemporary punch. Silver Linings House Remarkably, Alison designed most of the home’s impec-
features a series of tiered,
Programmatically, the house has a “flipped” floor plan; the landscaped terraces. cable built-in furniture, including the bathroom, kitchen and
primary suite occupies the lowest level, with a lushly planted bar cabinetry and their hardware. In her deft hands — and set
outdoor area just outside a sliding glass door. “It’s very peaceful,” against the crisp, minimal lines of Mork-Ulnes’ architecture —
Mork-Ulnes says. “You don’t hear city noise, and the room looks the mélange of items is playful yet elevated and the interiors
out onto a beautiful private garden.” The second level, where one capture the resilience and creativity of the Damontes’ lives. “I
enters the house, holds the guest suite, a home office, two bath- am pretty fearless when it comes to design,” Alison says. “That,
rooms, and spaces for entertaining. One highlight is what Alison combined with Bruce’s tenacity to have the best, was a really
calls the “ladies’ lounge,” which features vintage Italian chairs powerful combination for the house.”
clustered around an amoebic Alma Allen wooden table. Alison
loves disco balls, so a black version crafted by Yolanda “Yo Yo”
Baker, the last disco ball–maker in the U.S., hangs in the corner.
The top floor — kitchen, dining room, powder room and out-
door area — provides sweeping views of San Francisco’s Mission
District and Twin Peaks to the west and a more intimate look at
Bernal Heights to the east. “I knew we would have a view looking
towards the hills,” Bruce says, “but when we moved in, I realized
that, in the other direction, we have a view of our hill. If you sit
at the head of the dining room table, you can enjoy both, and the
scale change is very beautiful.”
A curving, sculptural staircase ties the three floors together
and funnels light from the third-floor skylight through the
entire volume. Its half-polished chrome slats reflect the light,
bouncing it around to create the feeling of being in a disco ball.
Original out-of-the-box moments like this, a hallmark of Alison’s
design style, abound throughout the house. The Damontes
share an affinity for Italian postmodernism, colour and pat-
tern. Saturated graphic wallpapers, bold avant-garde lighting
and modern art mix with vintage and contemporary furniture,
including such standout pieces as the recycled-plastic dining

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 059

 SEAMLESS
TRANSITIONS

In Pune, India, Craft Narrative

orchestrates a harmony of in-
door and outdoor spaces to
create a splendid urban–rural
home for two farmer brothers
and their families

Story by Anuj Daga

Photography by Ekansh Goel

060 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

The double-height living
room is a communal area
for both families of the
two brothers who call
this delightfully porous
building their home.
“That year, the mango tree gave us more fruit
than ever.” Two farmer brothers in the locality of
Yavat, on the outskirts of Pune, are recalling the
time they first moved into their newly designed
home, which is pivoted around the tree. Realized
by architecture studio Craft Narrative, the house
plays on the clients’ aspiration to “become urban”1
while maintaining the typological principles of
regional courtyard houses. The 420-square-metre
house sits in a fertile region amid pomegranate
and sugarcane farms. “There was another tree
— a neem — on the site that was eaten up by the
termites, so we tried to preserve the mango,” says
architect Yatindra Patil, who is pleased to see how
it has begun to embrace not only the home’s court-
yard but its terrace, too.
At no point — whether you are around the house
or inside it — do you lose your connection with the
landscape. Even before you climb the raised plinth
of the porch, you get a glimpse of greenery through
a square cutout positioned low to the ground on
the screen wall. The generous semi-open porch
mitigates the harshness of the dry sun and transi-
tions you to the interior. At this moment of entry,
another tree is framed through an elevated open-
ing. Turning onto the hidden courtyard through
carefully orchestrated volumes, you meet the
mango tree that rises in the middle of this open-
air space, along with the tulsi (basil) and parijat
062 _ _JAN/FEB 2024
BELOW: The concrete
building’s exuberant
character is expressed in
funnel-shaped, Venturi-
effect windows.
OPPOSITE TOP: One of the
home’s owners sits on
the front porch of his new
home, next to a cow shed.
OPPOSITE BOTTOM: The
central courtyard, with
its mango tree, shows
how the home’s division
between indoors and out
is almost non-existent. By
keeping the materiality raw,
as seen in the unfinished
base border, “trees and
nature gradually become
integrated into the spaces,”
say the architects.
(night-blooming jasmine) planted by the owners. You are seized by the scent
of these plants, which is pushed by the gentle breeze that flows through the
house via the Venturi-effect windows.
These tapered, funnel-shaped openings bring scale to both the inside and
the outside. Within the home, they become pockets to hold personal activi-
ties like yoga and reading, while on the outside, they break up the otherwise
monolithic mass of the house, creating chambers to contain planted land-
scape. They also appear as playful forms that cast a poetry of shifting shadows
on the all-white plaster exterior of the concrete and local-brick home.
The elongated rectangular house works as an environmental and social
organizer of space. Diagrammatically, a loop of rooms is strung together by
an internal veranda around the open-to-the-sky courtyard. This loop holds a
series of spaces for each of the two families, which are visually connected and
cross-ventilated through strategic openings to the farms on one side and the
courtyard on the other, as well as two kitchens at diagonal corners. The single-
storey loop is punctuated by a double-height living area. This scheme — of the
stretched rectangle interrupted by the soaring volume that flows seamlessly
into the court and the veranda — helps create nondescript zones2 for public
and private activities within the house. It also provides the two families with
the distance they need while pulling them back together in the voluminous
common living and courtyard spaces that they both enjoy. The architects thus
maintain the anticipatory tension of familial separation and togetherness
within the spatial strategy of the house.
As the house took shape, the owners began to imagine the possibilities
for a terrace that would allow them to view their farmland. By foregoing an
earlier design conceived with a sloping surface in favour of an accessible flat
plane, the architects both enabled a potential future vertical expansion of
the house and better attuned the roof climatically to the rain shadow region
of the Deccan plateau. Leading up to the roof, the staircases are folded in
JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 063
 1. Veranda
2. Living room
3 2 3. Dining area
4
4. Kitchen
5. Storage
6. Utility
6 5 7. Bedroom
8. Courtyard
9. Tulsi Vrindavan
9
1

7 8

4
7
7
6

064 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

 perforated metal sheets to allow for the passage of breezes.
ABOVE: An aerial view Similarly, the terrace railing is detailed with rhythmically spaced
shows how the new house circular steel plates that can hold everyday teacups as well as the
neighbours two traditional
oil lamps used during the festival of Diwali — thus transforming
buildings — the homes
of two cousins from the this elevated outdoor space into a wondrous spot to ponder over
same family. the courtyard. Views of the sky and fields are framed through
strategically crafted windows in the walls of the stairwell and
OPPOSITE, TOP LEFT: An
illustration expresses the the double-height living space volume.
home’s symbioses among A walk around the terrace soon begins to narrate the life of
spaces and species.
the farmer in his new home, situated next to his fields and the
OPPOSITE, TOP RIGHT: The houses of his two cousins. “Where do you like to spend most of
central courtyard’s mango your time in the house?” I ask kaka, one of the home’s owners,
tree grows all the way
who is in his fifties.
through to the roof plane,
from which the families “I am mostly sitting outside on the porch,” he replies.
can ponder their farmland. “Do you sit there alone?”
“Not really; someone or the other is always passing by.”
Is this not a timeless way of building, where one feels com-
fortable in the silence and slowness of space? As I continued to
spend time in the house, noticing the moments created by the
architects, I caught a glimpse of kaka from one of the home’s
innermost recesses — he was sitting happily at the entry porch.
The architects have not only made this house layered and
porous, but they have also dissolved the boundaries between the
inside and outside, as well as the farmer and his field.
1 The phrase “becoming urban” indicates the process in
which one imagines and transitions into being urbanized.
Contemporary urban studies scholars suggest rejecting
the urban–rural dichotomy, since easy access to tech-
nology (along with other means of communication) has
blurred the experience of country/village life. Therefore,
a binary classification invites undesired notions of differ-
ence when representing subjects living in areas extending
from the traditional city. “Becoming urban” implies that the
“urban” is not opposed to the rural; rather, there are differ-
ent kinds of urbanity. The family represented here lives in a
hinterland of Pune but has instrumentalized architecture as
a medium to belong to and embody the values of the city.
2 In South Asian and other tropical contexts, especially the
courtyard house typology, some spaces do not follow
fixed boundaries neatly defined as private rooms. Rather,
parts of the house remain as open pavilions. These un-
defined spaces of transition serve as passive circulatory
corridors and are the most active zones within the house,
allowing for a range of everyday activities.
JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 065
066 _
_JAN/FEB 2024
PHOTO BY LOREM IPSUM DOLORE
MU
MULTI-
GEM
The granny flat gets a major
makeover in this sculptural
yet serene U.K. garden suite
— with a striking butterfly
roof — that Oliver Leech
Architects has designed for
a geologist mother
Story by Giovanna Dunmall
Photography by Ståle Eriksen

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 067

In a small corner plot in Esher, Surrey, Oliver Leech Architects
has designed a multifaceted, charred-timber home for the
mother of its client. You’d be forgiven for thinking that this was
a stand-alone house, rather than a compact one-storey garden
suite. “They came to us to create a granny annex, but the result-
ing house doesn’t feel or look like that at all,” says Oliver Leech,
the London studio’s director. “Other than sharing a garden, it
could be its own house, which I think is part of the success of
the design.”
With its blackened envelope, origami-style green roof
(expressed visually as a butterfly configuration, hence the proj-
ect’s name) and four pitched volumes angled to create a fan-like
shape, the 94-square-metre home was designed to fit as dis-
creetly as possible into the triangular site at the bottom of the
garden and prevent overlooking or direct views into or out of
it. “We didn’t want a big window that would face straight back
into the main family home and that you could see into,” explains
Leech. “You can catch some glimpses into the corners of the liv-
ing space, but that’s all. And you don’t see into the bedrooms at
all, because they are set back.”
068 _ _JAN/FEB 2024
Despite being tucked away and surrounded by
BELOW: The butterfly trees, the annex achieves a sense of airiness and
roof floats above the
kitchen, creating a
spaciousness through a variety of architectural
stepped clerestory. The moves. The roof, which is lowest by the boundar-
kitchen, including its ies of the property, reaches its tallest point in the
island on casters, is by
Weymont & Wylie.
middle, where a central spine allows for a row of
clerestory windows along the main, west-facing
hallway, which bathes the open-plan living space in
natural illumination and offers alluring views to the
treetops blowing in the breeze. In the bedrooms,
the architects decided to double-space the rafters to
increase the feeling of light and height. In the bath-
rooms, Velux skylights were used to similar effect;
the one in the primary bathroom has a mirror below
it that visually doubles the size of the glazing and
reflects a tree behind the house.
The house has been designed to accommodate
elderly living, but it’s very much a case of future-
proofing rather than responding to existing needs,
explains Leech. The mother of the client, like her
TOP: A compressed, ABOVE: A view into the
curved entrance opens living area, where the
onto a lofty living area. roof’s flitched central
The natural clay plaster ridge beam dips down to
walls are by Clayworks. evoke a sense of depth.
 Floor plan
1. Entrance lobby
2. Utility room
3. Bathroom
4. Bedroom
5. Kitchen
6. Living area
6 7. Primary bedroom
5
8. Primary ensuite

1 7

3
2

BELOW: The single-storey

plan puts the kitchen
and living area front and
centre. A warm palette
and polished concrete
floors provide a sense
of expansiveness.

daughter, has enjoyed a career as a geologist. “The first time we

met her, she came bounding up to us after driving back from
Switzerland, where she had been skiing,” recalls Leech. “The
design will allow for her to grow old here but also for the spaces to
be used for other purposes if necessary.” Among the accessibility
features are level thresholds between the doors and windows and
the patio outside, a ramp into the kitchen and living spaces, low
drawers in the kitchen, and open-plan showers (without trays)
in the two bathrooms. The skylights in the latter spaces are also
remotely operated, lest opening the windows manually becomes
more difficult, and the second bedroom and bathroom could be
used by a future live-in caregiver.
The material palette is purposely natural and soft. Windows,
doors and ceiling joists made of larch imbue warmth, calmness
and texture, as do oak floors in the bedrooms and polished con-
crete in the rest of the house. “The clay plaster walls bounce light
around and have a lovely mottled, imperfect look,” says Leech.
The architects made a conscious decision to expose the building’s
timber frame and structure. “It was quite a complex structural
solution, and such an interesting roof shape, that we thought it
would be a shame to cover it. This way, you can really appreci-
ate the geometries and the structure that has gone into building
the house.”
Leech’s favourite space is the entrance lobby, where the four
volumes and roof geometries converge. It doesn’t have any win-
dows of its own but borrows light from other rooms, resulting in
a slightly more subdued and reflective ambience; its curved walls
enclose you in a compressed space before you enter the living
areas proper. Like everything in this house, it is well-crafted, con-
sidered and uplifting, countering any elderly-living or accessible-
design tropes with a deftness of touch.

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 069

070 _ _JAN/FEB 2024
IN BASEL, THE ARCHITECTURE FIRM ESCH
SINTZEL TRANSFORMS A DRAB WINE STORAGE
WAREHOUSE INTO A VIBRANT AFFORDABLE-
APARTMENT BUILDING — AND DEMONSTRATES
HOW ADAPTIVE RE-USE CAN BREATHE NEW LIFE
INTO FORMER INDUSTRIAL NEIGHBOURHOODS
STORY BY ANNA ROOS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAOLA CORSINI
 Over its more than 70 years, tfe building tfat most recently foused tfe
PREVIOUS SPREAD: The Coop wine storage warefouse in Lysbücfel, a former industrial zone of Basel,
southeast-facing facade
of the new apartment fas taken on many guises. Eacf fas left its own traces and scars. Sometime in
building, which was tfe 1970s, for instance, tfe gable roof was torn off, tfe building was extended
adapted from the Coop
wine storage facility, upward and outward, and its facade was completely clad in somber beige cor-
expresses an eclectic rugated aluminum sfeeting. All of tfis is fistory now: Tfe warefouse fas
character, with operable
shades in terracotta and been radically transformed into vibrant and affordable apartments.
a light green metal frame Escf Sintzel, tfe Zuricf firm tfat adapted tfe structure to its latest iden-
system and railings.
tity, fas envisaged it as a city witfin a building — witf long rues intérieures,
RIGHT AND BELOW: The inspired by Le Corbusier, wfere residents can interact witf one anotfer. “Tfe
apartments range from
1.5- to 7.5-room suites, fouse as a city — witf internal streets, patfs and squares for tfe commu-
and are anchored by the nity — promotes tfe excfange and coexistence of tfe 170 residents and con-
original concrete columns,
as well as timber pillars. nects tfe domestic witf tfe urban spfere,” explains Marco Rickenbacfer, tfe
project arcfitect. Tfese streets provide access to tfe four stairwells and a vari-
ety of communal areas like tfe laundry rooms, tfe flexible “joker rooms” for
cfildren or adult workspaces, a bicycle worksfop and subterranean refearsal
rooms. Tfey also provide access to tfe 64 apartments, wficf range from cozy
1.5-room units to spacious suites tfat boast 7.5 rooms and cater to every age
and stage of life.
Tfe building’s fistory is embedded directly into tfe proj-
ect. After winning a competition launcfed by tfe Habitat
Foundation, Escf Sintzel faced tfe task of deciding fow mucf
of its existing fabric to retain and fow mucf to demolisf. One of
tfe competition’s prerequisites was to conserve as mucf embod-
ied carbon as possible — and so it was decided to maintain tfe
feart of tfe original 1955 building: its distinctive monumental
musfroom columns. Witf tfis simple gesture, tfe firm saved
as mucf as 45 per cent of tfe project’s potential grey energy
demands. (Tfis move, fowever, did not lower construction
costs, wficf sfows tfat preservation is not necessarily cfeaper.)
Tfe arcfitects carved away tfe deptf of tfe building from 19
to 16.5 metres, tfus allowing more sunligft to penetrate into
tfe apartments; tfey also added an extra level so tfe building
now rises to seven floors (it also fas tfree underground levels).
Anotfer requirement was to limit tfe footprint to a maximum
of 45 square metres per infabitant, including public spaces and
corridors. Witf its careful planning, tfe firm managed to reduce
tfat amount to a mere 40 square metres per resident. Despite
tfis, tfe apartments still feel lofty. Wfat space is subtracted
from tfem is compensated for in tfe generous communal areas.
Tfe firm also stripped tfe facade of its 1970s guise — its sec-
ond face — by removing tfe load-bearing parapet walls and
dismantling tfe drab corrugation (witf its toxic paint). Tfe
mid-rise’s new visage is a ligft green–painted steel structure
witf soutfeast- and nortfwest-facing balconies and terracotta
fabric awnings tfat lend it a playful dynamic, as every unit fas
its blinds lowered to a different degree. To bolster tfe project’s
structural integrity, after doing away witf tfe load-bearing
facade, tfe firm inserted 200 massive spruce wood columns into
tfe building. Interestingly, tfese locally sourced tree trunks
fad to be felled and purcfased in 2018, two years in advance
of tfe sitework, so tfey could be debarked and left to dry out
sufficiently — a risky investment compounded by tfe COVID
pandemic. Witf tfe double layer of columns (tfe original con-
PHOTO BY LOREM IPSUM DOLORE

crete pillars and tfe new timber ones) carrying tfe entire weigft
of tfe building, none of tfe interior walls need to be load-bear-
ing. Tfe self-supporting balconies, wficf are screwed togetfer,
can also be easily deconstructed if needed. Tfese measures free
up tfe building for a potential fourtf identity in tfe future.
As tfey stand now, tfe eclectic balconies already communicate

072 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

 RIGHT: The architects
ensured that the
renovated building had
ample public space,
including this enclosed
terrace with city views.

BELOW LEFT: The kitchens BELOW RIGHT: A typical

feature base units of hallway adheres to a
generous depth made with considered palette,
maritime pine plywood including navy blue
panels — an economical apartment doors with
option that nonetheless transom windows,
imbues liveliness and pale green wall tiling
warmth. “To protect the and concrete
oiled wooden panels, we mushroom columns.
added a synthetic resin
inlay to the handles, a
reference to a chest of
drawers by Josef Frank,”
says architect Marco
Rickenbacher.

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 073

 Ground Floor Plan

2
1 1

3
Café Atelier

tzung «Wohnen im ehemaligen Weinlager», Basel

Third Floor Plan (Partial)

4 4

5 5 5

1. Commercial bookend
2. Concrete mushroom columns
6
3. A typical ground-floor apartment
4. One-bedroom apartment
5. Duplex apartment with spiral stair
7
6. Timber column
7. Balcony

074 _ _JAN/FEB 2024


ABOVE: A dramatic before
and after: on the left,
the new iteration of the
building, and on the right,
the defunct Coop wine
storage facility.
the building’s expansive new character to the city around it. In fact, the
building nurtures this dialogue in various ways. Oriented toward the city,
the commercial spaces, including the gym and the café, book-end the ground
floor, thereby providing lateral stability in case of an earthquake. (Basel,
which lies in a high-risk earthquake zone, has strict regulations in this
regard.) The public walkways culminate on the timber deck at the uppermost
level, a communal room for get-togethers that features high tables for enjoy-
ing aperitifs and boasts sweeping views of the surroundings, including the
Jura mountains in the distance.
With all of its architecture projects, Esch Sintzel seeks to “make a contribu-
tion to sustainability.” While the firm does not rule out demolition or partial
demolition when called for, it embraces the ideas of the circular economy and
the re-use of building components. “In addition to the ecological issue, exist-
ing buildings have made us more creative as architects,” Rickenbacher says.
“Despite a standardized housing program (non-profit housing), with this
project, we were able to spatially break out of convention. And because we
humans are narrative beings, we wanted to keep the different layers of time
and interventions in the existing building legible.”
Besides retaining the mushroom supports and the core structure, he and his
team undertook several green measures. The dismantled steel girders and sup-
ports were sold to a recycling company, and the aluminum sheeting was used
in other projects. Furthermore, virtually every horizontal roof surface is clad in
photovoltaic panels to generate 150kWp of energy. There is also a groundwater
heat pump that warms the building in the winter and cools it during the sum-
mer. Thanks to these efforts, the building produces two-thirds of its energy
needs and has been awarded the Swiss Minergie-P-ECO certification.
Esch Sintzel’s project symbolically and effectively connects past and future.
It is concrete proof that derelict industrial buildings can be transformed into
lively, sustainable places for living in the 21st century. As Rickenbacher says,
“If the intervention doesn’t make the place better, it can’t be architecture.”
JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 075
 Mister MacKay-Lyons’s Neighbourhood
The pragmatic and the poetic, economy as ethic, critical
regionalism: These concepts have defined Brian MacKay-Lyons’s
work for over 40 years. Studying the typologies of the
Maritime region, the founder of Nova Scotia firm MacKay-Lyons
Sweetapple Architects (MLSA) has honoured the vernacular
while advancing it. “Vernacular is not a style or an image,”
he has said. “It is a process or cultural view...By taking
up new technologies and materials, the vernacular is always
contemporary and forward-looking, rather than sentimental and
backward-looking.” He likes to quote the Mexican poet Octavio
Paz: “When joined, modernity breathes life into tradition and
tradition responds by providing depth and gravity.”
In December 2022, MacKay-Lyons was appointed to the Order
of Canada in recognition of his contribution to this dia-
lectic between the modern and the traditional. And though
he’s retired from his professorship at Dalhousie University,
where he taught and influenced innumerable East Coast archi-
tects for 37 years, he’s more active than ever, designing
buildings (from houses to entire villages) and writing books;
MLSA is currently at work on its latest title, Dwelling.
The firm has two outposts in the U.S., one in Oregon and one
in Massachusetts, and MacKay-Lyons orbits around its three
Nova Scotia offices, in Shobac, Lunenburg and Queen’s Marque.
Azure’s editor, Elizabeth Pagliacolo, met up with him at
these three unique places that he has had a continuous role
in evolving.
 ABOVE: Queen’s Marque
— a new commercial,
residential and cultural
development on the
Halifax Harbour — exudes
a materiality and attention
to detail that recalls
Brian MacKay-Lyons’s
PHOTOS BY NIC LEHOUX

best work.

RIGHT: A slipway leads

directly into the water.
Visitors have been known
to dive right in.

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 077

From any vantage point at Queen’s Marque, you can enjoy a full view of
this new commercial and residential hub. On a rainy morning, enshrouded
in the maritime fog, people dart from one end of the campus to the opposite,
taking refuge in the passageways that connect its buildings to the city beyond;
the boardwalk is drenched in the same tone as the Muntz metal that clads the
underside of those portals. On a sunny afternoon, from the grand Rise Again
staircase, you can observe children splashing in the water at the base of another
staircase, a slipway that leads down into the Halifax Harbour a few metres away,
their parents anxious and bemused. Yoga mats are being unfurled for an open-
air class and tourists congregate on the restaurant patios.
“It’s like a theatre — you’ve got all these roof terraces that look down like
balconies onto the boardwalk. And then Rise Again is a very theatrical
bleacher. So it’s meant to be a ‘people space’ and it’s full of people all the
time,” says Brian MacKay-Lyons, the architect whose firm, MacKay-Lyons
Sweetapple Architects (MLSA), designed the development in collaboration
with FBM Architects. Shane Andrews, a partner at MLSA, was project architect.
In essence, the 41,800-square-metre complex hugs the Harbour with a
mixed-use, somewhat U-shaped assemblage of structures. Anchoring the
western perimeter of the site is an eight-storey sandstone building, supported
by glass prisms, that houses apartments; jutting out from either end of it, two
Muntz-clad volumes step down in height and taper in width as they approach
the water. One features commercial office space, and the other is home to
Muir — a resplendent five-star hotel. In between these two buildings, which
are reminiscent of ships docking at the pier, are the two staircases. Rise Again
is both artwork and infrastructure: It houses a soon-to-open restaurant by
DesignAgency at its base and is crowned with a shimmering totemic instal-
lation by Ned Kahn, Tidal Beacon, at its apex. The sense of peaks and valleys,
of ascending and then stepping down, of passageways in and out, gives the
entire place an uncommon dynamism, aesthetically and experientially.
Some of the big moves feel cosmopolitan. Both the water stairs (which have
sparked concern among people with disabilities) and the passageways hint at
Venice, while the hospitality aspect is big-city chic. But the textures are of the
place. MLSA sought to achieve a “fine-grained pier–building fabric,” and in
this sense, Queen’s Marque reflects a city-scaled application of the attention

ABOVE: Brian MacKay-
Lyons (pictured, left)
created the Skyroom, a
restored ruin dating back
to the 1500s and a sunken
space for star-gazing at
to genius loci that MacKay-Lyons has honed in the smaller works — mainly
houses — that first brought him international praise. Both the sandstone
and the Muntz connect the development to its surroundings, including the
art deco Dominion Public Building; the Muntz is also the stuff of seafaring
vessels. In the passageways, the hand-patinated panels are tattooed with a
historic narrative of the transatlantic trade that shaped the site.
Queen’s Marque’s tactility at the human scale is the most successful aspect
of the biggest project that MLSA has completed in the urban realm. The parti
— a blown-up version of which is mounted on the wall of the firm’s Queen’s
Marque office — emphasizes the movement of people with loops and squig-
gles that anticipate how they’ll traverse the place. MacKay-Lyons praises the

PHOTOS BY MATTHEW MACKAY-LYONS (SKYROOM); JAMES BRITTAIN (OPPOSITE PAGE)

Shobac, Upper Kingsburg,
Nova Scotia.
OPPOSITE TOP: Also
in Shobac, the Enough
House is a 65-square-
metre prototype exploring
the idea of “economy as
ethic” by the architect and
his firm, MacKay-Lyons
Sweetapple Architects.
OPPOSITE BOTTOM: A
slice of Shobac’s campus
captures the Troop Barn,
Schoolhouse, Enough
House, four cottages
and The Studio, which
sometimes serves as a
satellite office.
developer, Armour Group, and its CEO, Scott Armour McCrea, for the project’s
expansiveness. “I would say that, in a way, he’s the architect, just through his
commitment to doing things properly. This development is 70 per cent public
open space. That’s the key to it. It’s not a building at all: It’s a district. And it’s
a public experience.”
In fact, the development — which sits on 400 piles and 200 rock anchors
and includes two levels of underground parking — almost doubles the area’s
public space, to 9,270 square metres. McCrea tells me that he hoped to create
a setting “that could be meaningful and iconic” without the star-architect or
shiny-object factor. “We wanted a fabric development, and to build something
that is true and authentic to its roots, as opposed to something that could be
anywhere,” he explains. He also considered a sense of inclusivity. “How do
you make the public space not feel as if it is kind of a protected area for the
wealthy who might be above it? We have had a lot of deep conversations about
democracy of place.”

078 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 079
Perhaps oddly, MacKay-Lyons compares Queen’s Marque to the project that
has amounted to his life’s work: Shobac. “I like to think that, when we’re talking
about Shobac and how the buildings aggregate, it’s a similar ethic, even though
it’s a very different kind of project. But there’s that urbanist kind of approach
to architecture.” Situated on land that he has sculpted in Upper Kingsburg,
Shobac is an architectural menagerie of elemental houses that are both rugged
and elegant, mainly wood-framed, gable-roofed volumes on robust bases, with
wondrous hearths at their centres.
It all started with the renovation of an 18th-century house. In 1986, after com-
pleting his graduate studies at UCLA, and after having travelled and worked
throughout Europe, MacKay-Lyons and his wife, Marilyn MacKay-Lyons,
bought a 1750s dwelling and restored it. Despite his family’s long history in the
region, it was a difficult place and a difficult time to set up a practice. And then
the house won a Governor General’s Medal. “And we thought, Okay, this is our
big break, we can stay and keep trying.” (That house is now the home of one of
his daughters; she’s a veterinarian and tends to the horses of Shobac. Another
daughter is an engineer who collaborates on some MLSA projects, while his son
is an architect with the firm.)
ABOVE: A village of elegant
Shobac occupies the site where French explorer Samuel de Champlain first
cedar-clad cottages
made landfall in 1604 (its name derives from the original land grant of Christian makes up MLSA’s Horizon
Shoubach), but it was a seasonal settlement for Mi’kmaq peoples for millen- Neighbourhood on Powder
Mountain in Utah.
nia before that. The landscape is characterized by majestic verdant drumlins
formed by glaciers. MacKay-Lyons started out by working the land — returning BELOW: The guest house OPPOSITE: A postcard
forested hills back to their agricultural origins — and then began to build on it of El Aleph, shown in come to life, Lunenburg
rendering, is perched on a is the site of MLSA’s B2
with structures old and new, rescued and invented. “We bought all these little
promontory. A round main Lofts, whose gable and
fish lots and cleared the land, but the land got expensive — we had to buy it, building will complete the gambrel roofs fit in with
protect it and sell some of it to people who wanted to have the architecture,” he Nova Scotia residence. the local character.
explains. “So, we do this architect–developer thing. What do out-
of-work architects do? Become developers.”
Some of the early structures came out of Ghost Lab, the two-
week design–build workshops that MacKay-Lyons began with his
students in 1994. These gatherings evolved to include eminent
peers like critics Kenneth Frampton (who notably developed the
term “critical regionalism”) and Juhani Pallasmaa, and Pritzker
Prize–winners Glenn Murcutt and Francis Kéré. Burkina Faso–
born, Berlin-based Kéré helped MacKay-Lyons retrofit a res-
cued barn on the site. “We almost died together,” MacKay-Lyons
recalls. “We were up on a beam together and it broke. We went
down together on this beam, like surfers, and almost died.”
Ghost culminated in the 2011 conference Ideas in Things, which
was an attempt to capture this moment — or even this movement
— focused on the local and human-built as an alternative to the
anywhere architecture contrived by the flattening forces of glo-
balization. Yet, writing in Azure, critic (and present-day director
of McGill’s architecture school) David Theodore wondered if the ideas in ques- press and accolades, blue-chip clients began their approach and more luxury-
tion were past their best-by dates. In a world where architects are increasingly leaning projects followed. In the past decade, MLSA has designed numerous
expected to train their expertise on tackling the gnarly problems of urbanism, residences and villages that bear his signature around the world, including
spending this much energy on notions of the single-family home felt passé. a barrel-shaped home that embodies stealth wealth and an elite ski village
“I’m struck by how the representations of the Ghost ethos — local architecture of cedar-clad chalets, both in Utah, among other places that aspire to what
is good architecture — are for the most part finely wrought, poetic single-family MacKay-Lyons describes as a “utopian” ideal.
residences, built for individuals rather than communities,” Theodore wrote.
For MacKay-Lyons, the house will always be culturally relevant — and
architecture cannot disavow it. “It’s a blunt instrument to say that houses
don’t matter, when 70 per cent of the world lives in them,” he says. And his Utopia is a paradise on Earth; Alvar Aalto felt that its creation ought to be
work has always hewed to modesty, economy and even (a compliment, to the ultimate goal of the architect, and practitioners like Frank Lloyd Wright,
him) banality. Charles Moore and Paolo Soleri set out, in their own particular ways, to show it
The conferences came to an end, but the Ghost internship continues could be done. Today, as the exigencies faced by urban centres take on increas-
(interns work on projects in the Lunenburg office and are helping with the ing import, the desire to create utopia in a rarified pocket of the world might
new book), and MacKay-Lyons’s vision and expansion — for Shobac and feel to some like the preoccupation of a bygone era.
beyond — was just beginning. As his houses garnered ever more international And yet its appeal is eternal.

080 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

 When it comes to Shobac, the utopian intention is manifested in the har-
mony expressed between landscape and built fabric. You cannot help but
marvel at its beauty. In the foreword to Robert McCarter’s Economy as Ethic
monograph, Pallasmaa writes of this place, where the buildings seem “self-
evident,” that “instead of the presence of architecture, we are made conscious
of the earth, gravity and climate. The [architectural] language also reflects
the mental power of the archetypes of timeless human constructions, and as
a result the buildings place themselves in a historical continuum, making us
sense the presence of time.” Last year, author Larry Gaudet wrote a book about
Shobac called Skyroom — named after a granite-lined sunken space for star-
gazing that MacKay-Lyons created over one of the many ruins on the land —
that conjures its Indigenous–colonial history and mythologizes its present-day
caretaker. MacKay-Lyons, for his part, prefers wholesome characterizations: He
often refers to himself as the “village architect”; he signs the inside cover of my
copy of Gaudet’s book with “welcome to Mr. Rogers’ neighbourhood.”
As we toured the campus in the whipping wind one afternoon, the sheep
baaing in the background and the highland cattle grazing on the drum-
lin, the participants of a yoga retreat had taken over the 1830s schoolhouse
and a set of four identical cottages. Next to the schoolhouse stands Enough
House, an experiment in building as compactly and affordably as possible
without eschewing beauty and comfort that won an AZ Award in 2016. This
prototype, on its own, represents for MacKay-Lyons the utopian dimension
as much as anything else he’s done. Another structure — an elongated “tin
can” that serves as a satellite office for the firm — also communicates a sense
of modesty in materials and form. Its wedge-like silhouette, which has just
been further extended, is a celebrated form of his that is most evocative in a
similarly shaped creation — the Hill House — that emerges like a rectilinear
landform atop the drumlin.
The most recently completed abodes occupy a plot called the The Point,
where they have been placed at an angle cut to the road. The Smith House,
for a family that enjoys vacationing on the Atlantic coast, is perhaps the most
compelling example of how a house can embody placemaking: It consists of
three Corten-clad pavilions that are supported on a stone plinth constructed
of local granite, a favoured material. A deck between them serves as an open
living room and the buildings’ low eaves frame the landscape. Everything is
a sensory experience. “Dwelling in the landscape, dwelling in the cosmos,”
MacKay-Lyons intones, paraphrasing Pallasmaa. “These are research projects
that allow us to study the landscape, to study the cosmos.”
PHOTOS BY MATTHEW MACKAY-LYONS (LUNENBURG); DOUBLESPACE (OPPOSITE, HORIZON)
Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the most authentic intact
representation of a British colonial settlement in North America. A postcard
come to life, it is populated by brightly painted buildings, and MLSA’s two B2
Loft buildings, one of which houses its Lunenburg office at ground level, riff
on this traditional language with their respective gable and gambrel rooflines.
The project is named after the course that MacKay-Lyons taught for 37 years at
Dalhousie on creating infill housing in the town. “We used Lunenburg as the
vehicle to teach manners to architecture students. If you’re building in a his-
toric context, you’ve got to develop some good-neighbour manners.”
Even in Lunenburg, or especially here, housing is at a premium. So the town
has hired MLSA to propose a plan for developing Blockhouse Hill, a beloved
public space, with new buildings, including affordable units. Lunenburg locals
have raised concerns about how the development will do away with much-
needed green space and whether it will adhere to the character of the town
— both concerns around which MLSA has convened community engagement
sessions. “We walked into the propeller of an airplane” when taking on the proj-
ect, MacKay-Lyons concedes. “It’s contentious.” MLSA will provide four or five
urban development options, integrating feedback from these gatherings, as
well as learnings from best practices exemplified around the world. “Out of that
will come a process where the town will decide what to do.”
At this point in his career, MacKay-Lyons is taking on projects under
greater scrutiny, like Queen’s Marque, Lunenburg and other sensitive com-
missions, and also having fun — he jokingly predicts he’ll “die in the saddle.”
He runs his firm, with partner Talbot Sweetapple, as an apprenticeship;
students, like Sweetapple himself, often become partners and clients often
become friends. In a business that he’s based largely on relationships, he’s
been working with some patrons for so long that he’s now designing their
headstones. But, at 69 years old, he himself is not going anywhere: He wants
to retain artistic control, and he needs to do the parti drawing that kicks off
a project’s conception.
In fact, MacKay-Lyons is currently working on what he hopes will be his best
project yet: El Aleph, just a few kilometres away in Port L’Hebert. “There’s three
saltwater promontories and we’re building a constellation of buildings that
speak across the kilometre of water to one another.” The residence is for a New
York client, and the site, he explains, is a spiritual one for Indigenous people.
The guest house, a lead–copper cube on stilts over the ocean, has just been
completed. It represents the courtyard that has been plucked from the centre of
the main house, a kilometre away, which will be shaped like a Scottish broch, an
ancient fortress-like roundhouse. “So it’s very highly conceptual,
right? It’s not like most of what you see in magazines, and it’s not
fashion. It’s about an idea that the client got excited about.”
The singular house on the field, the promontory or the
mountain, and the possibilities for its connection to both the
firmament and the terra firma, still holds meaning for MacKay-
Lyons, and always will — even as he and his practice embark
on affordable housing, including units in Lunenburg and an
entire village around a former racetrack in Cape Breton. These,
too, are predicated on making those symbolic relationships;
he’s excited about the Cape Breton project’s potential to feel
like Rome’s Piazza Navona and that “regular people will have
an amazing address on an amazing ellipse made of modest
little houses.”
Even when he’s working with his more affluent clients,
MacKay-Lyons has never been what he refers to as a “$1,000-a-
foot architect.” And despite it being perhaps the most expensive
of his “cheaply made” houses, he sees El Aleph in Port L’Hebert
as akin to the satellite office in Shobac — the one-room-deep “tin
can.” They are not objects — but participants in the landscape.
“We’re raised on bread and water,” he says, “and we bring that
attitude of restraint into everything we do.”
JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 081
Spec Sheet _Products

Bathroom
SELECTIONS _Kendra Jackson

The optional metal shelf on

the AXOR Suite bathtub is
offered in multiple finishes
Bathtubs
1

1 AXOR Suite
Part of a series by Philippe Starck, this generously
sized bathtub can be equipped with an optional shelf
that wraps around one curved edge to provide a
surface for personal care items, candles or books.
Materials Non-porous SolidSurface; metal
Dimensions 190 L × 83 W × 47 D
Manufacturer Axor, axor-design.com

2 BetteSuno
A collaboration with Barber Osgerby, the BetteSuno
freestanding bathtub features a recessed apron for a
streamlined look and a protruding rim that triples as
a design detail, as well as a comfortable headrest or
armrest and a ledge for toiletries.
Materials Enamelled titanium steel
Dimensions 180 L × 80 W × 42 D
Manufacturer Bette, my-bette.com
2

3 Cuba
Countering its compact size and angular exterior, Cuba, 3
by Italian designer Mario Ferrarini, boasts a soft and
sculpted interior that comfortably supports bathers.
Materials White Flumood or Colormood
4
Dimensions 125 L × 75 W × 70 D
Manufacturer Antoniolupi, antoniolupi.it

4 Qatego
Inspired by water-worn pebbles, the Qatego bathtub by
Studio F.A. Porsche has rounded exterior corners and
an ergonomic interior with a velvety surface. The series
includes coordinating sinks, toilets and furniture.
Materials DuroCast Plus
Dimensions 180 L × 80 W × 60 D
Manufacturer Duravit, duravit.us

082 _ _JAN/FEB 2024


Single-Hole Faucets
1 Perle
With an elegant spherical jewel (or pearl) set
atop a pedestal-like mixer, Perle was influenced
by both the fashion and natural worlds. The
“pearl” comes in five materials and multiple
finishes; the pedestal has 26 finish options.
Materials Metal, Murano glass, marble or onyx,
wood, synthetic stone
Dimensions Multiple
Manufacturer Gessi, gessi.com
2 Sense
A small infrared sensor near the base of
clean-lined Sense automatically turns the water
on when the presence of hands is detected;
after 60 seconds, the flow shuts itself off (the
duration can be adjusted for preference).
Materials Stainless steel in multiple finishes
Dimensions Multiple
Manufacturer Quadrodesign, quadrodesign.it
3 Atrio
Matte Black (one of two new finishes, along with
Brushed Cool Sunrise, now offered for select
collections) accentuates the high-arced swivel
spout and minimalist lines of Atrio.
Materials Solid brass
Dimensions Multiple
Manufacturer Grohe, grohe.ca
ALL DIMENSIONS PROVIDED ARE IN
CENTIMETRES UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED
2
3
4
4 Riobel Arca Collection
The gracefully arched spout of the Riobel Arca
faucet is fittingly influenced by the classical
architecture of Roman aqueducts. Its flat lever
handle has a pleasing tactility.
Materials Brass
Dimensions 25.1 H × 8.9 W × 18.6 D
Manufacturer House of Rohl, houseofrohl.ca 5
5 Air
A robust collection that includes four handles in
basic geometric shapes (Cross is shown), three
countertop and two wall-mounted spouts and
up to nine finish options, Air allows for complete
tailoring and future swapping of styles.
Materials Solid brass in multiple finishes
Dimensions Multiple
Manufacturer Baril, barildesign.com
JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 083
Spec Sheet _Products
1 2
1
3 4
Mirrors
1 Arcs Mirror
For the Arcs mirror, Belgian design duo Muller Van
Severen encircled the reflective surface with
a unified chain of vertical semicircles that form a
scalloped silhouette. It comes in round and
rectangular shapes and multiple sizes.
Materials Glass; stainless steel in multiple colours
Dimensions 60 H × 60 W × 3 D (shown)
Manufacturer Hay, hay.dk
2 Halo Plus Oblong
A ring of colour temperature–adjustable LEDs (with
an on/off touch switch with built-in dimmer) and
a back-mounted defogger pad lend the Halo Plus
Oblong mirror practicality and performance. It can
be installed vertically or horizontally.
Materials Copper-free mirror, aluminum
Dimensions 99 H × 50 W
Manufacturer Fleurco, fleurco.com
084 _ _JAN/FEB 2024
3
3 Theo
One element in a collection by Andrea Parisio
and Giuseppe Pezzano inspired by the De Stijl
movement, the Theo Oval mirror can be set on
the left or right of a built-in cubby, which can be
finished in a range of Fenix colours, including
Carminio (shown).
Materials Glass
Dimensions 78 H × 80 W × 13 D (includes cubby)
Manufacturer Ceramica Cielo, ceramicacielo.us
4 Wander
Mixing colours and shapes, the Wander mirrors by
French design studio AC/AL evolved from paintings
and collages; an invisible hanging system floats the
mirror two centimetres from the wall to cast a
halo-like reflection.
Materials Mirrored glass; glass in three colour Wander is available in
combinations three sizes, three
colour combinations
Dimensions 55 H × 40 W and 90 H × 67 W (shown)
and five shapes
Manufacturer Petite Friture, petitefriture.com
 _Bathroom

Wall-Hung Vanities

1 Miko
At once elegant and understated, the Miko collec-
tion involves a variety of materials, finishes, colours,
profiles and dimensions, which allows for configura-
tions that meet almost any want, need or style.
Materials Multiple
Dimensions Multiple
Manufacturer Scavolini, scavolini.com

2 MA
Named for the Japanese concept of negative
space, MA, by Foster + Partners, features clean-lined
2 geometric volumes and slender stainless-steel stems
that provide water flow — as well as hooks for towels
and robes, shelves, and a stand for an illuminated
mirror (not shown).
Materials Multiple
Dimensions Multiple
Manufacturer Falper, falper.it

3 4 3 Meridian
Defined by lines etched in its smooth natural stone
surfaces, the Meridian collection was inspired by the
energy pathways of the human body. Rounded cor-
ners and natural wood accents enhance the refined
beauty of the modular elements.
Materials Seven stones (Bianco Diocleziano shown)
Dimensions Multiple
Manufacturer The Davani Group,
thedavanigroup.com

_> MORE ONLINE
Find additional bathroom solutions at
azuremagazine.com/spec-sheets
4 Hito
A brilliant display of minimalistic functionality, Hito,
by Piero Lissoni, celebrates daily rituals through its
various stone, glass and wood modules that can be
combined to create highly personal solutions. The
collection includes washbasins, a mirror and pouffe.
Materials Multiple
Dimensions Multiple
Manufacturer Salvatori, salvatoriofficial.com

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 085

Spec Sheet _Materials

Surfacing
SELECTIONS _Eric Mutrie

Porcelain and Sintered Stone

1 Patagonia
Offered in both Marazzi’s countertop surfacing range and 3

its Grande collection of extra-large slabs, the marble-look

porcelain used for this kitchen’s island and shelving niche is
modelled after a type of igneous rock that combines granite
and quartz to exciting effect. marazzigroup.com

2 I Travertini
One of the standouts of the ongoing travertine craze is
Italgraniti’s limestone-look ceramic range offered in four
distinct colourways. The Radio 3D pattern featured here
is sold in pairs of 60-by-120-centimetre tiles that alternate
smooth portions with textural areas featuring super-thin
striations. italgranitigroup.com

3 Aquatio
Casalgrande Padana’s new range of porcelain stoneware
bathroom furnishings includes washbasins, shelves and 4
shower trays, which are available in any of the manufacturer’s
5
existing large-format slabs (including Metropolis Sand,
shown) and treated with antibacterial properties.
casalgrandepadana.com

4 Marvel Onyx
Inspired by the spiritual powers often ascribed to onyx, Atlas
Concorde’s polished, glossy porcelain surfacing recreates
the mystical look of semi-precious crystal. Wall and floor tiles
are offered in six colourways (including Quartz, shown),
while countertop slabs are available exclusively in white.
atlasconcorde.com

5 Alpinus White
Based on Brazilian granite, XTONE’s recent addition to its col-
lection of sintered surfaces depicts clusters of tiny, sparkling
specks against a backdrop of creamy ivory tones. Choose
from two finishes: soft-to-the-touch Nature or an embossed
textural treatment. xtone-surface.com

086 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

 Spec Sheet _Materials

Quartz

1 Parisien Bleu
Ochre veins pop against a blue backdrop in this elegant ode to the City of
Light. The polished hybrid surface adopts Silestone’s HybriQ composition,
which features a minimum of 20 per cent recycled materials and a maximum
of 50 per cent silica. cosentino.com

2 Brillianza
Caesarstone delivers a subtle expression of glamour by layering white
veining and the occasional peach accent streak atop a cool grey base. Part
of the manufacturer’s Supernatural collection, the 305-by-144-centimetre
1 slabs contain less than 40 per cent crystalline silica. caesarstone.ca

3 Tyrol
3
Vicostone nods to coastal cliffs with this quartzite-look addition to its
Exotic collection. Grey veins introduce subtle contrast in a sea of over-
lapping white base layers. Available in a polished finish, quartz slabs
measure 330 by 165 centimetres and are offered in thicknesses of two
or three centimetres. vicostone.com

2 3

Veneers and Acrylics

1 Everform
With an on-trend, nature-inspired colour palette, Formica has grown its
range of solid surfacing to include Sage Speck (shown) and six other new
introductions. The manufacturer’s non-porous, easy-to-clean acrylic is ready
to stand up to high-traffic environments. formica.com

2 Kakao
Piero Lissoni expands Alpi’s Xilo collection with a rich chocolate-brown
wood grain. Sheets measure 315 by 62 centimetres, and Alpi sources the
collection’s wood from responsibly managed forests. alpi.it

3 Royal Carrera
Durasein’s marble-look acrylic solid surfacing is stocked in sheet sizes of 76.2
by 365.8 centimetres with a thickness of 1.3 centimetres. Chemical-, mould-
_> MORE ONLINE
Find additional surfacing options at
and bacteria-resistant, the ultra-durable design is versatile enough to work in
azuremagazine.com/spec-sheets
residential and healthcare environments alike. durasein.com

JAN/FEB 2024_ _ 087

Media Shelf

Green THREE RESOURCES

OFFER NEW INSIGHTS
INTO CONTEMPORARY

Futures SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

WORDS _Sydney Shilling

PODCAST
Ecogradia
Since the late ’90s, Nirmal Kishnani — a
strategist, author and associate professor
at the National University of Singapore —
has championed the sustainable building
movement in Asia. Ecogradia, a podcast
surveying topics in architecture and urban
design, is his latest green-minded endeav-
our. While most reporting about the climate
crisis feels hopelessly dire, Ecogradia
instead serves as a well of inspiration,
celebrating local and global practitioners
leading the way in sustainability and em-
powering others to do the same. The
recently launched (and star-studded) third
season features interviews with Mexican
architect Tatiana Bilbao and Ambrish Arora
of India’s Studio Lotus. Delve into the
archives for conversations with Sonali
and Manit Rastogi of Morphogenesis, a
progressive architectural firm in India, and
Kotchakorn Voraakhom of LANDPROCESS,
a landscape firm that deals with flood
resilience in Thailand.

BOOK
The Regenerative Materials Movement
BOOK What does it mean for a material to be regenerative? Put simply, it must have a net
Deep Green: Biodesign in the Age of positive impact on the planet. This collection of essays, written by thought leaders
Artificial Intelligence across sectors, aims to serve as a launchpad for conversation, with clear calls to action
that work toward healthy, equitable, restorative and climate-resilient architecture.
Since founding London-based experimental architecture and design
While the environmental implications
firm ecoLogicStudio in 2005, Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto
of building materials are indisputable,
have carved out a niche in biotechnology for the built environment.
the “embodied suffering” (includ-
Their new book features projects from 2012 to 2022, which range in
ing forced labour, inequitable health
scale from micro to global. Centring three recurring themes in the firm’s
impacts and environmental racism)
research — cutting-edge blue-green master planning, biodesign in
that exists within even the most
architecture, and A.I. as a medium for urban design — the book expands
eco-friendly options is often invisible.
the definition of A.I. from digital to biological. The first section, entitled
Parts 1 and 2, which focus on justice
“PhotoSynthetica,” chronicles the development of a technology that
and equity and health, respectively,
harnesses microalgae’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the air —
unpack these unfortunate realities.
and boasts applications from green building facades to air-purifying
Part 3, meanwhile, tackles the nuts
curtains. The second half, meanwhile, engages with larger philosophical
and bolts of designing for the climate,
questions such as the aesthetics of ecological architecture. In exploring
including a case study of MASS
the inherent intelligence of slime moulds and mycelium networks, the
Design Group’s hyper-local approach
book invites readers to consider the potential of nature-based tech-
in Rwanda, highlighting the immense
nologies in shaping the future of architecture.
knowledge — and respect for the land —
that exists in the Global South.

088 _ _JAN/FEB 2024

Final Thought
All the Waterfront’s a Stage
DISSECTING THE LIFE AND DEATH OF SIDEWALK TORONTO,
THE MASTER PLAN CARRIES CIVIC BUREAUCRACY TO THE STAGE
Dan Doctoroff is here to listen. In the opening
moments of the stage play The Master Plan, actor
Mike Shara’s fictionalized Sidewalk Labs CEO takes
pains to present himself as a humble servant of the
public good. It’s just that, in making his point, he can’t
help yelling and interrupting everyone else. Written
by Michael Healey, directed by Chris Abraham and
based on Josh O’Kane’s book Sideways: The City
Google Couldn’t Buy, the play chronicles the Sidewalk
Toronto saga, which saw the global tech giant make
a bold (and ultimately unsuccessful) play to build a
neighbourhood “from the Internet up” on the city’s
waterfront. This past fall, the production sold out
a seven-week run at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre (and
scripts can now be purchased through Playwrights
Canada Press). The development process was always
full of drama. Now, it’s the stuff of theatre, too.
Filling seats for a play that mines the minutiae of
civic procedure for raucous laughter is no small feat.
090 _ _JAN/FEB 2024
STORY _Stefan Novakovic PHOTO _Dahlia Katz
Artfully translating the jargon of municipal governance
and public procurement, The Master Plan situated
the personalities (and civic aspirations) that lay behind
a convoluted boardroom bureaucracy. Sidewalk
Toronto’s barrage of facts and context — from city
hall protocol to RFP regulations — was delivered via
a deft combination of self-consciously explanatory
monologues and a set of screens above the stage,
framing the action below. The six-person ensemble
cast played a wide variety of roles, performers rapidly
switching from John Tory and Justin Trudeau to tech
activist Bianca Wylie and Josh O’Kane himself. But it
was Doctoroff, storming in and out of meetings, who
dictated the story’s frenetic pulse, seldom stopping to
take a breath — let alone to listen.
On the political and theatrical stage, Doctoroff draws
a striking parallel. Described as a prospective “Robert
Moses of the Bloomberg era” in the New York Times
during his prolific 2000s tenure as New York’s deputy
Actor Mike Shara portrays
former Sidewalk Labs
CEO Dan Doctoroff in the
Crow’s Theatre production
of The Master Plan.
mayor, the former Sidewalk Labs CEO arrived in Toronto
with city-building ambitions powered by the mix of
hubris and ego that also drove his mid-century counter-
part. Moses, too, has recently had his turn on the stage:
He was played by Ralph Fiennes in 2022’s Straight Line
Crazy (which ran first in London, then in New York). But
while Shara’s Doctoroff relied on a veneer of corporate
equity jargon, Fiennes’s Moses was an old-school tyrant.
As historical figures, the two men stand genera-
tions apart. As theatrical characters, however, they
are contemporaries, taking the stage at a moment of
heightened public interest in urbanism. From a grow-
ing awareness of the North American geographies of
exclusion and institutional racism to a housing crisis
that increasingly shapes urban life the world over,
understanding how — and why — we’ve built our cities
feels more timely than ever. On the stage and in the
public imagination, Moses and Doctoroff give us a
rough draft of a bigger story.
ONE OF
A KIND.

OCEAN MASTER MAX CRESCENT

TUUCI.COM