The Monocle Minute
On Design

This week we check out the architectural staff perks at software company Baramundi’s new headquarters, look back at Pritzker Prize winner David Chipperfield’s renovation of Procuratie Vecchie (pictured) in Venice, talk sustainability with George Massoud of London creative studio Material Cultures and find some much-needed Finnish serenity in Tapio Wirkkala’s cutlery. But first, here’s James Chambers on the merits of industry awards.

When it comes to designing impressive company headquarters, architecture firm Henn is particularly well versed. The practice’s portfolio includes the Zalando campus in Berlin and Osram’s Munich base, which was Europe’s first open-plan office when it opened in 1965. Henn’s latest HQ build was commissioned by software company Baramundi and recently opened in the Bavarian city of Augsburg’s new innovation park.

The brief was, first and foremost, to conceptualise a space that would facilitate and encourage communication among Baramundi’s workforce. The resulting design contains a canteen and flexible areas dedicated to collaborative work, as well as desk spaces, a gym and a rooftop terrace with views of the Alps. At the core of the build is a large central atrium around which workspaces revolve fluidly. “Precise architectural elements, such as the glass façade and the concrete atrium, are complemented by soft and playful textile qualities,” says managing director Martin Henn of the company’s ambition for the building’s central space.

“Floor-to-ceiling curtains double as a second façade layer, as well as flexible room dividers. It also provides a solution for the project’s biggest challenge: creating a continuous open space without fixed walls,” says Henn. The outcome is an office that comfortably allows for both private and collaborative work.
henn.com

Yesterday, British architect David Chipperfield was awarded the 2023 Pritzker Architecture Prize. Widely considered “architecture’s Nobel”, the Pritzker honours a living designer for their completed works, focusing on projects that demonstrate vision and a commitment to building a better world. Naturally, Chipperfield’s win provided an opportunity to look back at some of his finest achievements. Our pick of the bunch? His sensitive extension to the Procuratie Vecchie in Venice, completed last year.

Famed for its iconic arched colonnade on the northern side of St Mark’s Square, the building had been closed to the public since it was built in 1538 but Chipperfield’s renovation – in his words – “returned the building to the people as a place to love and a font of inspiration”. Vacant since the 1980s, the building’s first and second floors have now been transformed into offices, while a new auditorium, café and rooftop pavilion, as well as exhibition spaces, have also been added – all of which are open to the public.

With the exception of striking new staircases, and the pavilion and auditorium, Chipperfield and his team opted for a soft touch, seeking to expose the various architectural interventions that have taken place over the building’s 440-year life. Historic terrazzo flooring, timber ceilings and frescoes have been revealed and original brick walls whitewashed to tie the various spaces together.

Every change was finished in partnership with local craftspeople using traditional methods, an expensive and time-consuming process. “We went a long way beyond strict commercial decision-making,” said Chipperfield at the time. “It’s much easier to cover up a wall and to put some plasterboard somewhere. What we’ve done is uncover everything and bring it back. That takes patience, not just from the architects and the craftspeople but also from the client, [who needs] to understand that restoring something in this way is a noble cause.” The result is a building that not only serves its users but also celebrates the region’s craft and building traditions – and this is an approach that we hope more architects will embrace too.
davidchipperfield.com

Material Cultures is a London-based creative studio that sits at the intersection of design and material research. It focuses on developing and building new low-carbon structures and refurbishing existing buildings to significantly enhance their ecological credentials. Helmed by Paloma Gormley, Summer Islam and George Massoud (pictured, from left to right), the studio recently released Material Reform, a book that explains its working methods, with short essays and conversations championing the use of more natural and bio-based materials in architecture. To find out more, we spoke to Massoud.

Your book frequently references biomaterials. What are they and why are they important?
Most materials used in mainstream construction are petrochemical-based. Bio-based materials such as clay and straw or hemp are natural; they come from the ground and are part of a regenerative cycle. Working with these can have a big, positive effect on the environment when used at scale.

How do such materials fit into a regenerative cycle?
At the root of regenerative practices is the desire to rehabilitate the land and put carbon back into the soil, increasing biodiversity. We’re trying to think about how we make construction products and show that cultivation can be part of regenerative land use. That might involve using different timber species for construction, for instance. But regenerative practices can be found across many different parts of the supply chain, from labour to governance. We’re working on regenerative frameworks that look at how these principles can apply not just to materials but also to many other aspects of the material cycle.

In ‘Material Reform’, you suggest that developers are often shortsighted when it comes to the materials they use. How do we take a longer-term view?
There’s an expectation today that the materials that we use in a project will look exactly the same across its lifespan. Time is an interesting thing to think about here. Many of the materials that we advocate for have a very different relationship to the building and to the built environment than what is typically used. We are interested in relationships of care, in which people accept that certain materials need to be renewed or repaired or looked after in particular ways. We want to see that ingrained within our culture.

For more from Massoud, listen to ‘Monocle On Design’ now.

Designer and sculptor Tapio Wirkkala was one of the leading lights of Nordic modernism: he designed Finland’s banknotes in 1947 and the country’s pavilion at the Triennale di Milano in 1951, where he was awarded the fair’s Grand Prix. Being a typical Finn, however, Wirkkala preferred to spend his free time in a spartan cabin in the woods in Inari, Lapland. The influence of that place can be seen in Wirkkala’s work; take, for example, his Kurve cutlery, designed for the German tableware manufacturer Rosenthal in 1971.

The seven-piece set, made in matte stainless steel, has a streamlined form that evokes the landscapes of northern Finland. The profile of the knife is shaped like a low Lappish fell, the country’s famous, barren hills. Kurve is one of the best examples of the prolific cross-border collaboration between Wirkkala and Rosenthal, which lasted almost 30 years, but sadly very few of the designs are still in production. If the Franconian factory were to revive some of Wirkkala’s work, Kurve would be a good place to start. From time to time, everyone could use some Finnish serenity around the dinner table.

La Mère – Serax’s new tableware collection of ceramics, glassware and cutlery – celebrates the idea of coming together around a table that has been set by a maternal figure. The handmade ceramic pieces make a feature of their “artful flaws”, calling to mind the craftspeople who worked on them and also encouraging unfussy, everyday home use. Designer Marie Michielssen limited her palette to off-white, ebony and Venetian red, a combination that pairs well with any table dressings, allowing you to mix and match with pieces beyond the collection.

In contrast to the ceramics, the steel cutlery is at once playful and elegant, and is available in a light and dark stonewash. We all crave the comforts of sitting at a table with our loved ones, eating good food and enjoying the easy flow of conversation. With La Mère, Michielssen has designed a dinnerware set that is rich with nostalgia and a sense of maternal grace – and ready for mealtime.
serax.com

New York’s famed Off-Broadway venue Vineyard Theatre is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a major rebrand that reflects the diversity of its onstage offering and of the city more broadly. Created by London-based NB Studio, the branding uses 25 different typefaces from a host of New York-based type foundries and elements will change from show to show.

The word “Vineyard” appears across posters and promotional material in a bespoke sans-serif typeface, while “Theatre” is set in another font to represent different productions and genres. It’s an approach that allows the theatre’s visual identity to evolve and grow, reflecting the themes and outlook of each production. “It’s intended to constantly surprise and delight,” says Reuben Alghali, senior designer at NB Studio. “This keeps everything you see from the Vineyard fresh and exciting.”
nbstudio.co.uk