The Monocle Minute
On Design

We’re grounding ourselves in history and materials this week as we check out a stoneware gallery in Lower Manhattan and consider a French designer’s desert-inspired rug collection. Plus: we get hands on with the future of prosthetics and consider the fractious collaboration behind some of Australia’s most revered midcentury modernist architecture. Taking us from the Tate Modern (pictured) to the Grand Parc in Bordeaux is Stella Roos.

When confronted with the colossal carbon emissions tied to the building sector, architects can be quick to point out their powerlessness before mentioning the politicians drawing up regulations and the developers pinching the pursestrings. Enter HouseEurope! This scheme – one of a number of direct-democracy programmes under the EU’s European Citizens’ Initiative banner – will launch on Saturday and set out to prove that, when willing, designers can do plenty to press for positive change. Formed by a broad coalition of architects and activists, the campaign aims to change EU laws to incentivise the renovation of buildings rather than their demolition.

“We’ve already learned not to throw away plastic bags,” says Arno Brandlhuber, a professor at ETH Zürich and co-initiator of HouseEurope! “So why do we still throw away buildings?” The campaign has partnered with institutions and architects including Pritzker Prize-winners Herzog & de Meuron and Lacaton Vassal. Now the initiative has a year to collect one million signatures from EU citizens across at least seven countries who back its plans to make maintaining and retaining buildings more attractive to developers, architects and cities. If successful, the legal proposal will be put to a vote at the European Parliament.

The suggestions of HouseEurope! are pragmatic: giving tax breaks to renovation projects, making it as easy to secure financing for a restoration as for a new build and changing the EU carbon market to account for embedded carbon dioxide in old houses. “It’s not very sexy,” says Brandlhuber. “But it would change everything.” Directing investment into adaptive reuse would dampen real estate speculation while boosting the business of craftsmen and smaller architecture practices. And the initiative by no means spells the end of interesting architecture: many landmark projects from recent decades – from Lacaton Vassal’s Pritzker Prize-winning social housing in Bordeaux (pictured) all the way to the Tate Modern – are technically renovations.

Though the road to reforming EU laws is long, HouseEurope! has already progressed the discussion on how and for whom we should build through a documentary made by the Canadian Centre for Architecture and an oversubscribed town hall meeting in Berlin. Brandlhuber noticed that from all the arguments that can be made against demolition – environmental, social or economic – the one that sticks best is sentimental. “You don’t want to tear down history,” he says. Placing appropriate value on the buildings we have is a cause that people of all political stripes should be able to rally behind – and it’s why I’ll be signing the HouseEurope! proposal.

Stella Roos is Monocle’s design correspondent. For more design insight and analysis, subscribe to Monocle today.

After an extensive search of Manhattan, American dancer-turned-designer Matthew Fisher chose the waterfront neighbourhood of Seaport as the location for his first gallery, M Fisher. “The potential of the space was evident at first glance,” says Fisher. “Much of the city has sprung skyward but the Seaport is still a genuine neighbourhood. This realisation inspired me to carve the space into a succession of rooms representing a domestic interior rather than a cavernous showroom.”

A stone’s throw from the Brooklyn Bridge, this more intimate setting allows Fisher to exhibit more than 120 works side by side, including sculptural stoneware pieces, functional objects, lighting and furniture. The designer’s affinity for natural stone guides his practice and led him to collaborate with quarries from Italy and Portugal to Brazil and Thailand. Presented in this homely setting, these stone pieces are contextualised as they would be in their purchasers’ houses. “I’m excited to be influenced by the reactions of those who visit the gallery,” adds Fisher. “I want to see firsthand the stones, scales and functions that those visitors gravitate towards.”
mfisher.com

A transformation is under way in the prosthetics industry, with manufacturers using technological advancements to build prosthetic limbs that match, or even outperform, biological ones. Among the upstart outfits that are entering the market is US-Ukrainian start-up Esper. Its Esper Hand, a bionic device that can be controlled by the user through sensors and makes use of machine learning, took years to perfect. In contrast to many Hulk-like alternatives, the Esper Hand is almost dainty, with a female and male size. Its considerate details include fingertips that can be used on a touch screen. The hand has also already passed a tough practical test: it has been fitted to dozens of Ukrainian soldiers.

Prosthetic industry giants such as Duderstadt-based Ottobock are also muscling in. Its Utah Bionic Leg is stronger and lighter than the average human leg. Using sensors and custom-built, artificial-intelligence-powered controls to anticipate the movements of the body, it enables above-the-knee amputees to climb stairs, hike and cycle. “We were able to achieve a weight and power that had been thought to be impossible,” says Tommaso Lenzi, an assistant professor at the University of Utah and developer of the Utah Bionic Leg. Design was also key. “Part of the reason why people hide a prosthetic is that they feel that it signals disability,” he says. “But as these technologies come out, there will be a huge shift.” To that end, the Utah Bionic Leg was kept deliberately brightly coloured and futuristic. Because when it comes to the next generation of prosthetics, the real sign of success will be when wearing one isn’t considered remarkable at all.

For more on the future of prosthetic design, pick up a copy of‘The Forecast’, which is out now.

French interior designer Sandra Benhamou started her namesake design agency in Paris 15 years ago. Her work features a combination of contemporary and vintage influences that are inspired by her love for art, travelling and film. We spoke to Benhamou about her latest collaboration: a collection of rugs with studio Édition 169.

You recently designed a rug collection, ‘Tellus Mater’ [which translates as ‘Mother Earth’], with Édition 169. What was the inspiration behind it?
I designed this rug collection with Édition 169 to celebrate my 50th birthday. When I visited the Negev desert in Israel, I walked for hours and it was as if I was walking on the moon. Despite the aridity, there are different layers of fertile land and I felt a close connection to Mother Earth. The feeling was strong and powerful but simultaneously subtle and soft. I wanted to replicate that exact sensation.

Can you walk us through the rug-making process?
The visuals were inspired by the works of artists Carl André and Agnes Martin, and culminated in two drawings that illustrate an intimate geography, blended territories and vivid memories. These were then translated to the rugs’ design. It was essential for me to use high-quality textiles in subtle colour schemes: white, dark and natural. Working with Édition 169 was fascinating because I learned a lot about materials such as wool, hemp and velvet bouclé. These were mixed together to create the final Tellus Mater rugs.

You previously said that the cinema is one of your biggest inspirations. How does this inform your work?
I recently watched a masterpiece called The Room Next Door, the latest film by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. I was blown away by the combination of visuals, set design and amazing acting. In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai is another of my favourite movies and the inspiration behind my next collection, which I will be showcasing in London later in the year.

For more from Sandra Benhamou, tune in to ‘Monocle On Design’ on Monocle Radio.

A young designer starting their career in 1960s Denmark had big shoes to fill. The generation of designers that came before them made an international phenomenon of Danish modern style, in turn making the country synonymous with functionalism and a muted sensibility. Thankfully, this daunting reputation did not discourage cabinet-maker Preben Fabricius and blacksmith Jørgen Kastholm, who started a furniture workshop in a Copenhagen cellar in 1961. There they created this desk, which has a familiar Danish lightness and simplicity but with the addition of sunshine-yellow laminate cupboards. The result, now more than 60 years old, looks as though it could have been made today.

Fabricius and Kastholm might not be household names on par with their older peers – think Finn Juhl or Arne Jacobsen – but many of their designs from the late 1960s, including the FK chair and the Grasshopper lounger, remain in production to this day. This desk, however, was probably built in the duo’s own workshop and never made it onto a factory line. Few designers have come up with an office desk that manages to be as lightweight, spacious and cheerful as this one. This could be the design’s time to shine.

Italian brand Flos has long specialised in evoking a gentle atmosphere through lighting. Now it has teamed up with Spain’s Jorge Herrera Studio to create the Magic Stick, a rod-shaped LED fixture that can easily be configured to suit boardrooms, restaurants or homes and mounted onto ceilings or walls.

It comes in either asymmetrical or symmetrical models. While the former combines warm diffusion with accent-lighting details that can be tilted according to need, the latter offers a balanced illumination. The luminaires can be arranged together and layered or stand alone as sleek, sculptural statements. They’re worth remembering the next time you find yourself wondering how to bring some magic to a space.
professional.flos.com

Active from 1953 to 1962, the Melbourne-based trio of Roy Grounds, Frederick Romberg, and Robin Boyd played an important role in shaping the modern architectural landscape of Australia, including buildings such as the Arts Centre Melbourne, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and Canberra’s The Shine Dome. And yet their architectural collaboration was as complicated as it was fruitful. Ultimately, clashing ambitions led to the firm’s end. Now, Cairns-based journalist Maria Larkins’ new book dives into the history of one of Australia’s most important modernist architectural practices.

Published by Uro Publications, Grounds, Romberg & Boyd: Melbourne’s Midcentury Modernists is a richly illustrated book that goes beyond the buildings to delve into the characters and tensions behind the legacy. Through correspondences, archival pieces and rare imagery, Larkins provides a detailed portrait of the creative and operational complexities of the trio. Having herself worked closely with contemporary practices in Melbourne, Larkins offers direct and unparalleled insight into studio dynamics. An essential addition for enthusiasts of antipodean architecture, this tome explores how meaningful legacies can still emerge from even the most challenging collaborations.
uropublications.com