AZURE

Lively, fresh, forward-looking, but also socially relevant — this defines Azure, the leading design publication covering the expanding world of international contemporary architecture and design. Each issue delivers readers inspiring ideas and cutting-edge innovations, from state-of-the-art green building to the latest in furniture and home accessories from around the globe.

Value Chains

Azure • Vol. 39 - No. 297 MAR/APR 2023

Ship Shape • People, projects and products you need to know about now

Dopamine Dressing • SING-SING STUDIO BRINGS A FASHION BRAND’S ECLECTIC STYLE TO SUNSET BOULEVARD

Three-Part Invention • FLOYD’S Y-LAMP IS A TRIPLE THREAT OF STYLE, SUBSTANCE AND SMART MATERIAL USE

Motor City Meadow • DETROIT’S NEW LANDSCAPE IS A THOUGHTFUL MEDIATION AMONG BEAUTY, ECOLOGY AND THE CAR

Bejewelled • AT CARTIER’S GENEVA FLAGSHIP, LASVIT MAKES THE WHOLE PLACE SHIMMER

Winter into Spring • EVEN AMID JANUARY SNOWSTORMS, THE INTERIOR DESIGN SHOW (IDS TORONTO) AND DESIGNTO FESTIVAL INSPIRED FRESH APPRECIATION FOR NATURAL WONDERS

Advanced Curriculum • A MADRID SCHOOL TEACHES A LESSON IN WONDER — AND MINIMIZING OUR IMPACT ON THE LAND

Into the Wild • AN AGRI-TOURIST RETREAT BY ATELIER L’ABRI OFFERS GUESTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNE WITH NATURE

A Holy Hotel • QUATTROASSOCIATI TRANSFORMS A DECONSECRATED CHURCH INTO MILAN’S LATEST NH HOTEL

Lounge Acts • SOFT SEATING SYSTEMS THAT ENCOURAGE LINGERING IN BUSY HOTEL LOBBIES AND OTHER PUBLIC SPACES

Water Works • IN SAUDI ARABIA, MASQUESPACIO DELIVERS AN INTERIOR INSPIRED BY THE ELEMENT OF WATER FOR ESPRESSO BAR MO

Travel Plans • ARCHITECTURE FIRM OBMI EXPLORES NEW WAYS TO SEE THE WORLD WITH TWO AMBITIOUS CONCEPTS

A Seat at the Table • FOUR CHAIRS THAT OFFER STYLE AND STURDINESS IN CAFES, RESTAURANTS AND OTHER EATERIES

Woven in Stone • KELLY WEARSTLER’S NUDO COLLECTION BRINGS OUT THE SOFTER SIDE OF MARBLE

DESIGNING WITH THE PLANET AS STAKEHOLDER • PEARSON LLOYD IS ON A MISSION TO CREATE CLOSED-LOOP FURNITURE AND OBJECTS THAT ENHANCE BOTH HUMAN LIFE AND THE NATURAL WORLD

ALL THE RIGHT MOVES • A whole host of designers, manufacturers and entrepreneurs are making meaningful shifts toward circularity, from sourcing sustainable materials and minimizing waste in manufacturing to designing with a product’s end-of-life in mind. Thinking holistically, they are also challenging entrenched systems and long-held notions of what possesses real value: foregrounding the health and livelihoods of artisans, stakeholders and end users throughout the process of creating greener products and more inclusive and resilient places and communities.

CRAFT AND COMMERCE • How Obakki has created a not-for-profit model to connect artisan communities to bigger markets.

THE INFLUENCER • Perennially one of the world’s most sought-after designers, Patricia Urquiola continuously challenges the brands she works with to adopt more sustainable practices.

THE MATERIALIST • Bonnie Hvillum mines natural waste streams to create paradigm-shifting materials.

WE NEED TO CHANGE HOW WE PERCEIVE VALUE • For Shorefast — the foundation behind the Fogo Island Inn, which turns 10 this year — and its Economic Nutrition label, community resilience always comes first.

INDIGENOUS APPROACHES TO PLACE • “Our job as architects is really about placekeeping,” Wanda Dalla Costa explains. “You really need to sit in and align yourself with that place to do this work.” Two projects, one by her firm and the other by Brook McIlroy, are bright beacons.

The New Era of Circular Architecture

Lea Bridge Library

Meaford Library

Building K.118

Quay Quarter Tower

A WAY FORWARD • In...