Articles by Dima Stouhi

The visual aesthetic of the past few decades could be defined as designing with the principles of ‘nothingness’. Whether it’s through art, lifestyle, fashion, industrial, or interior design, there has been an alleged need to keep things at a bare minimum, promoting the globally-loved-yet-highly-criticized trend of minimalism. Minimalism is this notion of reducing something to its necessary elements, but who is deciding what is necessary, and who is deciding what is too much? With those questions in mind, combined with radical changes in consumerism and the way people live seen during recent years, current trends have shown that minimalism might be here to stay, but with a twist.

Designed by Rotterdam Rooftop Days and MVRDV, the Rotterdam Rooftop Walk has finally opened to the public. The installation offers visitors a new perspective on the city, with a 30-meter-high aerial bridge that spans across a variety of the city’s rooftops, from the roof of The Bijenkorf department store to the top of the World Trade Centre plinth. The project aims to showcase how rooftops can provide an added layer of public infrastructure in a dense city where public space is scarce. Rotterdam Rooftop Walk is open from May 26 to June 24 from 10:00 to 20:00.

Berlin-based hospitality tech start-up Raus has collaborated with Danish designer and architect Sigurd Larsen to create nature-inspired cabins in the middle of nature. The small retreats are designed with eco-friendly features, offering city dwellers the opportunity to escape the bustling city life, and stay in a chalet that combines art, culture, and nature. The cabin will be temporarily located on the grounds of Wehrmuehle in Biesenthal, Brandenburg, and will soon expand beyond Germany and its borders.

As the design world prepares for one of the most anticipated events of the year, Designboom, Architonic, and ArchDaily which make up DAAily platforms have put together for the visitors of Milan Design Week 2022, a unique, storytelling-programmed space, designed by architects and designers for architects and designers. This year, DAAily platforms are taking the opportunity to take to the stage together from 7 to 10 June at the Swiss Corner at Piazza Cavour / Via Palestro 2, hosting curated talk series and gathering spots, along with immersive art installations.

With a mission to support, empower, and grow the city’s design sector, New York’s annual design festival, the NYCxDESIGN presented a selection of architectural installations, talks, and events to celebrate global creative accomplishments, share new ideas, and inspire through design. This year, the festival returned for its tenth edition, running from May 10th – 20th. Having been a special anniversary, this year showcased New York’s creative diversity and talent, putting on display its designers, makers, manufacturers, innovative design businesses, as well as world-class cultural and academic design institutions.

Olson Kundig has announced the opening of its new Bob Dylan Center, a warehouse-turned-museum that gives visitors exclusive access to the cultural treasures found in The Bob Dylan Archive®. Led by design principal Alan Maskin, the center showcases Bob Dylan’s worldwide cultural significance, featuring a collection of more than 100,000 items spanning nearly 60 years of Dylan’s career, from handwritten manuscripts and correspondence, to films, videos, artwork, and original studio recordings.

Foster + Partners has revealed the design of the BWDC Residential Tower, a luxury apartment building in Manila, the Philippines. The new tower combines the city’s vernacular architecture and traditional veranda lifestyle with modern high-rise living. The project is the firm’s latest in the tropics which responds to the regions’ intense weather systems, mitigating high temperatures and humidity through passive design strategies.

“The details are not the details. They make the design.” – Charles Eames. Creating attractive spaces that anticipate the needs of users relies on several factors: scale, circulation, functionality, and comfort. However, the past few decades have proved that the visual appeal of a project is also greatly important, and can make or break the interior space. In this interior focus, we will explore the aesthetic side of interior design, looking at popular styles across the world and how architects and designers use elements such as color, furniture, accessories, and finishes to define their spatial identity. 

David Chipperfield Architects and Toronto-based Zeidler Architecture, have won an international competition to transform the Block 2 parliamentary precinct, a 51,000 sqm redevelopment zone in downtown Ottawa, Canada. As a site with significant national importance, the project aims to not only provide facilities for democratic government and urban infrastructure, but also to represent the values of a nation and a vision for its sustainable and inclusive future. The project proposes a new public square alongside the main building and on axis with the Peace Tower, as well as an open space to promote dialogue between Parliamentarians, the community, and the wider public.

Henning Larsen has been selected among 40 international architecture firms to design NEOMA’s new French Business School, in Reims, France. The Danish firm’s hybrid timber design combines innovation, environmental consciousness, and a focus on student life, setting to accommodate over 4,000 students across a 26,000 sqm campus. Construction is expected to start in spring of 2023, and is scheduled to be open for the start of the 2025 academic year. Along with Henning Larsen, the winning team includes Patriarche, Egis, Elioth, Etamine, Acoustb, and Creafactory.