Mazzo Restaurant

Concrete Architectural Associates recently complete the interior of the Mazzo Restaurant in Amsterdam.

Here is the project description:

It’s a typical Amsterdam building: narrow and very deep spaces fused together with different floor and ceiling levels, which automatically provides a natural positioning for the restaurant.
The first part has a five-meter high ceiling and faces directed outwards. The perfect area for a bar, where guests can order a fast espresso or have a drink at the high bar tables.

The second part is obviously lower but twice as wide. A few original stone columns divide this part into two zones. The darkest part of the entire building is perfect to house the kitchen. The seating area of the restaurant is opposite to the kitchen with a simple but flexible, trattoria-like table arrangement. A variation of tables for two or eight are placed and every table has a great view of the chefs in the kitchen.

In the third part, a narrowing in the building creates the small backroom where kids can play during the day under the watch of their parents. At night the toys can disappear in the cabinet behind a black-and-white blocked curtain and guests can retreat into the eleven-meter long chesterfield couch to enjoy a good glass of wine and have a nice conversation.

Five materials determine the ambiance of the raw and honest interior design: power floated concrete, chipped brickwork, stone, pinewood and raw steel. The first three materials are part of the shell of the building; all the new materials are steel and wood.

Photos by Ewout Huibers

lab zero: yeta log cabin

'yeta log cabin' by lab zero
images courtesy of lab zero


italian architecture firm, lab zero have designed 'yeta log cabin', a small multi-purpose hut, 
that can be placed in a multitude of locations to provide shelter. 

the dwelling measures approximately 12.5' wide x 14.5' long x 10.75' tall, and is equipped 
with a small kitchen and bathroom, complete with a shower. the undefined interior space means 
that the cabin can be used according to specific needs. when not in use, the deck folds up, 
thus creating a structure that appears to be a large stack of cut wood. 

sustainably built with untreated wood, LED lighting and photovoltaic modules on the 
cantilevered awning, the cabin can operate either on or off the grid. carbon-based filters collect 
and filter rainwater, while black water is stored in a separate tank. the exterior shell is insulated 
and the glass panel is double pane, making it possible to comfortably inhabit the hut in any environment.  



3/4 view


front view 



photovoltaic modules



detail 



back view 



side view



detail 


detail 


interior


interior



interior



exterior at night



sketches and model



sketches and model



sketches and model



sketches and model



sketches and model

jun igarashi architects: house of trough

'house of trough' by jun igarashi architects in hokkaido, japan
all images courtesy jun igarashi architects


'house of trough' by japanese studio jun igarashi architects is a dwelling for 
a couple located east of hokkaido. the site, which is a less-than-desirable plot 
next to an iron factory, called for a design that limited the interior's visual interaction 
with the exterior to maintain a calm living atmosphere for the inhabitants.



kitchen/dining/ living view from above

in order to ensure that the living space was sufficiently closed-off from outside site conditions, 
various programs of the house act as 'buffer zones' and are distributed accordingly
to push certain spaces more inward than outward. the square-shaped plan sandwiches 
the living/dining/kitchen area between a service/storage volume to the north and 
a bedroom/storage volume to the south. this middle zone is largely devoid of 
windows but remains open vertically to promote a spacious quality. 



bedroom with stairs to the closet 

much like mezzanines, the two volumes to the sides remain open, enabling the inhabitants
to overlook the rest of the house while still illuminating the lower level. 
the south side accommodates a guest room in the partial basement, a bedroom on 
the ground floor and a generous storage space on the elevated level. the washroom 
and utility closet are housed on the north side with an additional lookout stoop accessible 
by a ladder. white translucent curtains act as temporary walls when needed. 



(left) entrance, looking up to the bedroom loft
(right) guestroom 



semi-translucent curtains set apart the two 'buffer' rooms



dining space


(left) view from the north loft
(right) view of the living space from the entrance hall






view from the sleeping loft space



south elevation in context


exterior at night



(left) floor plan / level -1
(right) floor plan / level 0



(left) floor plan / level 0-1
(right) floor plan / level 1



(left) floor plan / level 1.5
(right) model - plan view


sectional model - looking east


sectional model - looking west

west elevation


east elevation


project info:

client: couple
structural design: daisuke hasegawa & partners
construction: yamada industry co., ltd
structure: wood
storeys: 2
site area: 208.06 m2
total floor area: 98.44 m2

Paper Tea House by Shigeru Ban

A tea house made out of paper and cardboard, designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, is to be auctioned in London tomorrow.

The Paper Tea House is part of an sale of Japanese art and design being held by auctioneer Phillips de Pury & Company.

More info from the auctioneer follows:

-

PAPER TEA HOUSE BY INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARCHITECT, SHIGERU BAN TO BE SOLD AT PHILLIPS DE PURY & COMPANY’S KYOBAI: THE ART AND CULTURE OF JAPAN SALE ON APRIL 3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

London –April 1– Phillips de Pury & Company is pleased to announce that it will be offering a important piece of architecture by one of the most celebrated architects working today, Shigeru Ban, in its forthcoming London sale, Kyobai: The Art and Culture of Japan.

A tea house, constructed of square paper tubes, is a structure designed for indoor use measuring just over 5 meters long. Housing a table and four stools, the house also features a waiting area with a bench in keeping with tea ceremony practice.

Shigeru Ban is a forerunning contemporary architect revisiting Western concepts of Modernism and traditional Japanese architecture conceiving some of the most elegant and inspired buildings across the globe. Dedicated to the exploration of basic geometric elements and innovative use of materials, Shigeru Ban has created unique structural solutions that employ a vision of rational and practical space with the utmost respect to the people that inhabit these spaces and a structure’s harmony with its environment.

The architect’s ‘paper architecture’ comprises an ongoing series of structures using paper tubes as the main building material. Spanning a number of uses from multiple refugee housing solutions for disaster zones in Rwanda, Japan, India and Turkey to a collaboration with Frei Otto for the Japan Pavilion at the Hanover Expo in 2000 to his current satellite office that that sits on the roof of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the use of paper by Shigeru Ban has been a pivotal design solution with firm ethical footing.

Low-tech, adaptable and recyclable, the paper constructions address the current trend of high-tech, high-impact and unattainable design that has been so prevalent in the contemporary architecture. In addition, the use of the material presents, in each application, an engineering challenge that Shigeru Ban continually masters. His paper tube buildings have been admired for the ultimate breakaway from the confines of traditional materials to create light-filled, stimulating buildings with unsurpassed sophistication.

Paper tea house by Shigeru Ban will offered with pre-sale estimate of £20,000 – 30,000.

The sale will take place at the company’s European headquarters in London on April 3 at 6 pm.

Kyobai: The Art and Culture of Japan
Viewing: March 28 – April 3 from 10 am – 6 pm
Sale: April 3 at 7 pm

Phillips de Pury & Company
9, Howick Place
London SW1

www.phillipsdepury.com