Monday, October 10th, 2011

Destination Design: Michelberger Hotel – Berlin, Germany

Gritty and creative, Berlin is the world’s capital of cool. Affordable artist space and a unique constantly evolving scene ensure that the once divided German capital is a hot-bed of creative talent from around the globe, a fact that will no doubt guarantee the success of 31 year old Tom Michelberger’s new venture, The Michelberger Hotel. Born of a vision to create a hotel that is “as creative as an ad agency”, The Michelberger throws modern hotel convention to the wind…. as Michelberger himself says, “Perfection does not create memories, because memories only result from movement, from a lively experience of interaction – with people, the surroundings and the atmosphere.”
Blending the best of hostel and hotel, everywhere you look there is creativity, personality, humour and radical individuality. Odd bits of furniture, bare concrete walls, books, magazines and more books…. the space is as unique as you will see in an International hotel and truly one that cannot be reproduced again. One-off lampshades made from vintage books, unique wallpaper and televisions that play a custom-created loop of films and clips…. every last detail has been treated with a peerless creativity, even down to the roomkeys and playful do-not-disturb signs. If …

Friday, October 7th, 2011

We love: the new Adidas Laces Building

The new Adidas Laces R&D building at the corporation’s headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, is Kada Wittfeld Architektur’s latest project. In addition to the innovative communicative architectural ‘laces’ theme with criss-crossing connecting walkways — a metaphor for the Adidas sports shoe as well as the networked communications of the corporation — the ‘turbocharged’ typographic signage system by Büro Uebele leaps across walls, doors, and handrailings throughout the center. Words identify places as well as becoming colored surfaces and sculptures.

From the press release:
The building forms a loop. Suspended walkways cross the atrium space, “lacing” the building’s structure together like the laces of a sports shoe. The walkways connect individual departments within the building complex, making for greater proximity and preventing the disruptive effect of people walking through offices. The signage system supports this concept, providing directions at hubs and intersections. The names of the meeting areas are displayed on the glass balustrades, creating a subtly mobile effect as visitors look across the atrium, helping them find their way. The corporate typeface, a variation on FF DIN, is dynamically varied here. The outlines of letters and arrows are shifted vertically and repeated rhythmically, creating a dynamic, sporty effect. The shimmering characters …

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Amsterdam Airport’s Green Nature Park

Extensive traveling wears on the soul. Although seeing new places is exciting, the constant landscape of airport after airport can leave one wishing for more natural green surroundings. If you’re traveling through Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport you may not have to wish any longer. The airport recently unveiled an indoor/outdoor nature park where travelers can go to relax, unwind and enjoy a bit of (somewhat simulated) nature.

Airport Park is a unique space with plenty of green features to help even the most weary traveler recharge a bit. In the indoor section of the park there is a lounge with comfortable organic-shaped seating, a cafe and a small retail shop. Real plants are integrated with some of the seating fixtures while other seats are shaped like natural logs.

To fully immerse visitors in the sensation of being in a public park, the Airport Park uses what they call “mixed reality technology.” Projections of scenes from real parks adorn the walls while projected butterflies flitter around on the floor. Sounds of the outdoors like birds, bicycle bells and playing children create an immersive environment where travelers can almost forget where they really are.

The unusual park doesn’t just give the illusion of …