modern design [issue no. 1]

8/3/2019 Modern Design [Issue No. 1]

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P R O Y E C T A

MARBELLA STUDIO

Urb. Guadalmina Alta, P-82829678 San Pedro AlcntaraMarbella . MlagaTel: +34 952 904 011

Fax: +34 952 884 817

INTERIOR . ARCHITECTURE . DESIGN . DECORATION

COMMERCIAL AND PRIVATE PROJECTS

CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL, COSTA DEL SOL

PROJECT - DEVELOPERS OFFICES

PROJECT - PRIVATE RESIDENCE

CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL, COSTA DEL SOL

www.proyectastudio.com

MADRID STUDIO

C/Copenhagen, 6. Local 11,Edif. Al ndalus, Pol. Ind. Eurpolis28230 Las Rozas. MadridTel: +34 91 636 1216

Fax: +34 91 636 1216

ultradesign


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News

Richard Rogers: topprize or toparchitect

This years coveted Pritz-ker Prize or Architecturegoes to Britains Richard

Rogers, creative genius behind the 1970sParis Pompidou Centre. Awarded by ThomasJ Pritzker or being a champion o

urban lie who believes in the potentialo the city to be a catalyst or socialchange, Rogers is widely congratulatedor his unique interpretation o theModern Movements ascination with thebuilding as machine, an interest inarchitectural clarity and transparency,the integration o public and privatespaces, and a commitment to exibleoor plans that respond to the ever-changing demands o users. High praiseindeed. www.architectureweek.com

Tate Modern goes large

The new Tate Modern extension by Swissarchitects Herzog & De Meuron has beengiven the green light. The 11-storey glasstower will sit on the south-west corner othe existing gallery and takes the orm oa spiralling stepped pyramid or ancientBabylonian-style ziggurat, adding an exoticEgyptian dimension to the London skyline.Read all about it atwww.tate.org.uk

New World TradeCentre in Oslo

A Norwegian investment group has se-cured the rights to build Norways frst

World Trade Centre in a complex to bebuilt behind the Nobel Peace Centre onprime property in Oslos inner harbour.The World Trade Centre Association is aglobal organisation based in New Yorkand has authorised 300 World Trade Cen-tres in 92 countries around the world.www.architectureweek.com

Londons roll-up bridge

An innovative 12-metre-long wood and steel bridge structurecurls itsel into a ball to let water trafc through at thecitys Paddington Basin development. Designer Thomas Heather-wick, known or his innovative use o engineering and materialsin public monuments, says Rather than a conventional openingbridge mechanism consisting o a single rigid element that litsto let boats pass, the Rolling Bridge gets out o the way bycurling up until its two ends touch. A great addition to a watercity like Venice, perhaps?Heatherwick Studio: www.heatherwick.com

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Singapore rising

Downtown Singapore is set to wel-come its largest private develop-ment designed by the Ofce orMetropolitan Architecture: a 36-sto-rey residential high-rise standingat 153 metres tall, to be located inclose proximity to Orchard Road,Singapores amous shopping andliestyle street. 20,000 squaremetres o built oor area willprovide 68 high-end apartmentunits with panoramic views andis strategically designed withinthe confnes o the regions highlyregulated building environment. Itmaximizes the ull potential o thesite, making the most o the attrac-tive views towards the city centreand an extensive green zone to thenorth. Visit www.oma.eu or inoN

ews

Moscows modern makeover

The Expocenter Project will be a new expo-sition venue, hotel and residential devel-opment or central Moscow, making it thelargest investment and construction project

in Russia and Europe as a whole. At 26,340square metres, the state o the art exhibi-tion space, conerence centres, 1,500-seaterauditoriums and 26-storey hotel will be inextremely high demand and boast breathtak-ing views o the Moscow City skyline. Archi-tects: Zaha Hadid, www.zaha-hadid.com

Speed reak!

Exceeding its own expectations, theamous French high-speed TGV train hitthe world record books recently at aheart-stopping 574.8 km per hour, dem-onstrating the improved superiority,

security and perormance o both theTGV and its likely successor the AGV,manuactured by French engineeringgroup Alstom.

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FRANK

GEHRYTHE AVANT-GARDE

ARCHITECTMr Gehry needs little if any introduction.

Winner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize for

Architecture which honours consistent andsignicant contributions by living architects,

the 77 year-old is one of the greatestproponents of grand architecture. The creatorof the Guggenheim Museum in Spains Bilbao

has the classic stature of a cultural icon andeven featured in Apple Computers Think

Different ad campaign of the late 1990s.


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Experience Music Project (EMP), Seattle,

Washington (1995-2000). Based on the

Jimi Hendrix Experience, Gehry pays

homage to classic rock, here experimentingwith broken guitar pieces and alluding to a

shattered Fender Stratocaster.

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Works of Wonder

Frank Gehrys buildings, includinghis private residence, become

instant tourist attractions and its

not difcult to see why: museums,

corporate headquarters and

cityscapes all seek Gehrys badge

of distinction and structural

progression, regardless of the

product he delivers or the worldly

statements they wish to make.

Aside from his internationally recognisedworks including the titanium-covered

Guggenheim Museum, Gehrys touch has

brought prominence to the Walt Disney

Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles; the

Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic;

his home in Californias Santa Monica and

to his latest accomplishment, Hotel Elciego,

in Spains Basque Country.

Recognising howSpain is turning tocultural tourism, to

art, gastronomy, music,dance and architecture,Gehry is very muchat the forefrontof futuristic

yet functionalarchitecture andsculpture.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1929, Gehry studied at the Universities

of Southern California and Harvard before establishing his rst practice,

Frank O. Gehry and Associates in 1963. On reaching the symbolic age of

50, he opened the doors to his new rm Gehry & Krueger Inc in 1979 set to

become the hot house of creativity which would lead to his global fame and

recognition.

Born in Toronto,Ontario, Canada

1 | Gehrys LA home2 | Millennium Park, Chicago

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1 | Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain (1991-1997). Titaniums reectivequalities provide a softening pillow-like eect, Gehrys rst large-scale useof the metal.

2 | National-Nederlanden Building, Prague, Czech Republic (1992-1996).The rythmic eect and body language of the two towers earned thebuilding its nickname Fred and Ginger after the world famous dancingduo, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

3 | Walt Disney Music Hall, Los Angeles, California (1987-2003). Gehrysmost ambitious LA project is intended to establish a sense of place and istailored to convey orchestral sound as eectively as possible.

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1 | Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Chicago, USA (2004). A billowing headdress of brushedstainless steel ribbons connect to an overhead trellis of criss-crossing steel pipes.

2 | Marqus de Riscals Hotel Elciego, Spain (1998-2006). Ribbons of colouredtitanium are Gehrys response to the unbroken landscape surrounding the building,coloured metals inspired by the rich tones of the sky and vineyard.

3 | MIT Stata Centre, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (2004). Another eye-popping assemblage of curvy silos and angled towers.

4 | Vitra Design Museum, Weil-am-Rhein, Germany (1990). A Modern Expressionistassemblage of cuboid and curvaceous forms with metal roofs.

5 | Easy Edges Wiggle Chair (1969-1973). Corrugated cardboard is manipulated intothis graceful curvilinear chair and hardboard facing applied to the at surfaces make itimmensely durable.

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Reecting on Guggenheims

present and future

Perceived as Gehrys most iconic and representative work, the Guggenheim

Museum Bilbao was a culmination of Gehrys new directions and experimentation

with unusual surface materials and sensuous shapes rarely seen or used before. Opened to

the public on 19 October 1997 and celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Guggenheim Bilbao was

immediately vaulted to prominence as one of the worlds most spectacular buildings in the style of Deconstructivism.

Like much of his other works, the structure consists of radically

sculpted, organic contours that ow fttingly into its designated position

and surroundings. With this vision in mind, work has already begun

on the 30,000 square metre Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, capital of the

United Arab Emirates in the Arabian Gulf, and soon to be home to

the largest Guggenheim museum anywhere in the world. Speaking

about the project when it was announced last year, Gehry observes:

Approaching the design of the museum for Abu Dhabi made it possible

to consider options that would not be possible in the United States or in

Europe, so wed better brace ourselves to expect the unexpected.

A decade of decadence

But back to Bilbao. The museum was opened as part of a

major revitalisation project for the city and as a dramatic

regeneration statement for the Basque Country itself.

Recalling the reaction to the museum on its opening, Gehry is not afraid to admit people were

very upset about it when it was rst presented. One guy said they should kill me

Now when I walk down the street in Bilbao people want to hug me.

As the centre-piece

of the Marqus deRiscals new City of

Wine, Hotel Elciego

is already soaking

up its appellation

as the most avant-

garde work by a

Spanish winery.

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Attracting more than 900,000 culture vultures

each year from across the globe and with over

100 subscribers to its Corporate Members Pro-

gram, the museum is certainly in good com-

pany. Guggenheim Bilbao is the venue for the

October 2007 exhibition USArt: 300 Years of

Innovation a tting tribute to the lasting im-pression the museum has made on the city, on

its thousands of visitors, and as a glowing tes-

tament to its enigmatic creators exceptional

vision.

Gehrys Riscal winning ways in Rioja

With new heights of luxury the order of the day,

Gehrys second foray into the Basque Country

is the Marqus de Riscal Winery, Hotel & Spa

in Elciego, 90 minutes south of Bilbao in the

famed Rioja region. Completed in September

2006 and affectionately seen by fun-loving

Spaniards as a follow-up to the Great Guggen-

heim, Gehrys idea was to make a hotel that

takes advantage of the vistas, which are ex-

traordinary, he says, referring to the vineyards,San Andrs cathedral, Valdezcaray mountains

to the south and Cantabrian mountains to

the north. The titanium and steel are purely

sunshades, or sun visors, framing the views.

Recognising how Spain is turning to cultural

tourism, to art, gastronomy, music, dance and

architecture, Gehry is very much at the fore-

front of futuristic yet functional architecture

and sculpture.

The three storey, 3,000 metre Hotel Riscal, com-

plete with 4,000 metre annex, has 43 luxurious

rooms and, as the centre-piece of the Marqus

de Riscals new City of Wine, is already soak-

ing up its appellation as the most avant-garde

work by a Spanish winery.

Forming part of the Starwood Hotels Luxury

Collection, guests can opt for educational

cellar tours and enjoy views of the vineyards

and the town of Elciego while sitting in the baywindows perhaps sipping a glass of Riscals

Gehry Limited Selection Reserva 2001 at the

very same time.

Onlookers meanwhile can marvel at the build-

ings undulating roof with its titanium pinks, pur-

ples and lilacs representing owing red wine.

And with the main restaurant set to become

one of Spains leading centres for ne gas -

tronomy, Gehry is helping to combine Riojastraditional and modern inuences with tons of

taste and just a hint of je nsais quoi.

Approaching

the design ofthe museum

for Abu Dhabi

made it pos-

sible to con-

sider optionsthat would

not be pos-

sible in theUnited States

or Europe.

So we can

expect the

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1 | Venice Beach House, California, USA (1986). Suburbanwaterfront dwelling in post-modern design featuring light woodframing ideal for mild temperatures.

2 | Architectural model for the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, UnitedArab Emirates (2006-11).Compressed and intricately interconnected cuboids, prisms,cones and cylinders will house the new museum within an area ofsome 30,000 square metres.

Works in progress

Grand Avenue Project, Los Angeles,California

Science Library, Princeton University, New

Jersey

Bridge of Life Museum of Biodiversity,

Panama City, Panama

Inter-Active Corp Headquarters, New

York City

Art Gallery of Ontario renovation,

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation,Paris, France

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania

Untitled Five Star Hotel & Event Center

Lehi, Utah

Ohr-O Keefe Museum, Biloxi, Mississippi,

USA

Museum of Tolerance, Jerusalem, Israel

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (GAD), Abu

Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

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Villade la JaraDesigned by American architect Michael Earle

Wherethe

pueblorunsthroughit...

All contemporary houses make

reference to a built historical

model. In the case of Villa dela Jara, nestled into the hills

behind Mijas and designed

by Diseo Earle, the historical

model happens to be an entire

Andalucian pueblo.

Text: Michael Earle

Photos: Trisha Miller


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from the hill like the traditional whitewashedtown, this distinctive building creates theclearest denition of modernism that sees

architecture not as a collage of decoration butas a distillation of all domestic functions into anabstract form.

Mijas as a town was developed from an

old rock quarry in the age of the Moors, at

a time when a lot of the red agate used

in palaces in Cordoba and Granada was

mined and transported there from Mijas.

After the mine was exhausted, the at

plateau that remained served as a natural

place to build a town, sheltered from the

pirate attacks that were common on the

coast.

In Villa de la Jara, when the architect rst

RISING...

visited the site of the project to get his rst

impressions of the land, it had already been

mined of its stone leaving a at plateau to

build on.

In Mijas, the orientation and direction of

the main street or exterior corridor comes

from a stream that ran through the town

providing the townspeople with running

water, explaining street names like Calle

Agua (Water Street).

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On the site of Villa de la Jara, the architect

found a stream left behind by the recent

rains which created a meandering path

through the site. After it dried, it left very

clear markings and erosion behind. This

became the starting datum for the house.

The direction of the inner street or corridor

which meanders through the house wasdirectly based on this form.

1 | A glass bridge allows movement across the divide of the public square.2 | The Andaluz street divides public from private.

1a

1 2

This project and its construction method

develops an architectural response to the

tension between global technologies and

local building traditions. The materials and

methods used are based on the same

local traditions used for centuries thus the

needs of the architect are met to achieve

an architecture that is responsive to placeand less obsessed with machine-oriented

perfection.

The house seeks to be not an idealisation

of its surroundings but to mix perfectly with

its surroundings. Many of the angular forms

of the building are directed at specic

views such as mountain tops or sea views.

Prevailing wind directions also had a strongdesign inuence. As one might imagine, the

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3 | The kitchen uses glass to expose the primal rockof the mountain.

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top of a mountain can be a windy place at

times but the house shelters the prevailing

winter winds while allowing the cooling

summer breezes to naturally ventilate the

house.

In reinterpreting the Andalucian pueblo

and the notions of street, plaza and public/

private space, we have created a building

which responds to the way people live in

Andalucia, and the blurred line between

indoor and outdoor. The outdoor street

acts as the separator between the public

and private spaces. The large open plan

lounge spaces which contain living, dining

and bar areas act as the plaza/public

meeting spaces and the bedrooms remain

as the private spaces between the plazas.

The architect was particularly struck by the

pueblo lifestyle of neighbours passing from

house to house and gathering in the public

plaza using it as their lounge quarters.

As the blurring between indoor and

outdoor intensies, we are led to the

garden and pool spaces that surround the

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1 | The angular geometries of the villa are represented in the exposedsteel beams.

2 | The shape of the bar area follows the curve of the outsidestreet.

3 | The open nature of the house can be seen as framed viewsto the coast.

4 | The main curving wall is nished in an interesting mix ofwood, glass and exposed brick.

villa. From the pool with its innity view to

mountains and sea, we really feel as though

we are on top of the world.

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Exhibiting numerous lithographs on paper

and miniature sculptures in a cartoon style

known as manga the Japanese word

for comics Murakamis exuberant style

is called Superat which seamlessly fusestraditional Japanese painting techniques

with contemporary graphic styles found in

manga comics and anime lms. Superat

also assimilates Western inuences from his

hero the great Pop artist Andy Warhol to

the celebrated lm director Steven Spiel-

berg and refers to the fact that the pictorial

space in his works is, literally, at so can be

read equally from various viewpoints.

Murakamis characters recur throughout

his work in endlessly inventive ways. Among

them is Mr DOB, a Mickey Mouse-like

character who features in several of the

Manga comes toMalaga!

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami brings hiscolourful cartoon characters to GACMA

Gallery this summer in Spains rstmajor exhibition of his provocative work.

GACMA works; smiling owers are repeated

in a bewildering range of bright colours to

form rich and complex patterns; and two

toddlers Kaikai and Kiki play havoc, one

pure and innocent the other with threeeyes and fanged teeth. The result is an art

form which is highly colourful and acts as

both a celebration and critique of popular

and underground culture in Japan.

Born in Tokyo in 1962, Murakami has a

PhD in traditional Japanese painting but

from the mid-1990s onwards hes played

a leading role in Japanese contemporary

art. He has held solo exhibitions in some of

the worlds most prestigious art galleries

including Tokyos Museum of Contempo-

rary Art, The Cartier Foundation in Paris

and Londons Serpentine Gallery and has

a major retrospective opening at the Los

Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art later

this year.

Among his highest prole work has beenhis designs for fashion houses Louis Vuitton

and Issey Miyake and hes participated in

recent group exhibitions at New Yorks Mu-

seum of Modern Art, the Museum of Con-

temporary Art in Chicago and made public

works for Grand Central Station among

other locations. Murakami is also founder of

Tokyos twice yearly contemporary art fair,

GEISAI a lively one-day event attracting

over 1,000 artists and 10,000 visitors.

Superat runs at GACMA until August 15

2007. See Events page 74 for details.

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Enfis see the

light

Fluorescent lighting inmillions of corporateofces will never bethe same once theenlightened folk at Ensoat their innovativeilluminator modules onLondons AlternativeInvestment Market. Aimingto raise some 4 million (6

million) to develop its HighBrightness LED technologyover the next 3-5 years,their niche lighting systemuses up to 90% less energythan traditional lightingand as industry becomesmore familiar with theattributes of LEDs, thisexpanding market willcontinue to out-strip thecompetition. For more

information visitwww.ens.com

Fibre fantastic!

The world record for thefastest ever data transferhas just been broken byAlcatel-Lucent transferring25.6 terabits of data inone second over a singlebre optic strand. Thats astaggering infrastructurecapacity equivalent totransmitting informationfrom more than 600 DVDs

per second beat that!Okay, so this bandwidthisnt available for homeweb browsing just yet, buteven knowing that theyvegured out how to do it hasalready put cyberworldin a spin. It means thateventually, real people likeus will have speeds similarto this when we connectto the internet. Bring it on

guys!www.alcatel-lucent.com

Colour shower

This shower illuminates thewater with coloured LEDsthat change accordingto water temperature, soyou know just how hot (ornot) the water is simply bylooking at it. Ingenious.

Price 69 fromwww.planetapluton.com

whats in store:Futuristic Fittings

Folding

bookshelf turns

into a bench

The Scissor Shelf Unit is abookshelf that folds toonly 9.45 inches whennot in use perfect forpeople who live in smallhouses with little space forfurniture and ideal for the

nomadics among us wholove moving from placeto place. And when itscompletely folded thebookshelf can also beused as a small bench.The company behind thisdesign has other interestingproducts using the samefoldable concept includingthe Scissor Table andScissor Bed. Find out more

from Thut Mbel,www.thut.ch

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Wastewater Gardensare in the businessof waste watertreatment: recyclingwaste from toilets,washing machines

INTEGRATING

ECOLOGY WITH


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washing machines,showers and kitchensthrough a simple,

effective processknown as ConstructedWetlands

Here in Spain, we need

little reminder that the

consumption of fresh water

and treatment of waste

water is everybodys business,

so heres everything you need to know about the importance of waste

water

Faeces (sewage) is one of the main polluting components of waste water

yet one of the richest, most productive substances there is. Waste water is

also food for plants, yet inadequately treated waste water contaminates water

supplies causing 3.5 million deaths per year worldwide, mostly among children

under ve. So are wetlands and constructed wetlands the solution to this problem?

Yes.

Wetlands include swamps, marshes and certain kinds of lakes theyre the Kidneys of the

Earth for their vital role in sewage digestion and purication. And because we need more

green zones and water is so precious, a Wastewater Gardens (WWG) constructed wetland

treats sewage and removes pollution thereby preventing bad smells, mosquito breeding oraccidental human contact.

Constructing a WWG is similar to constructing a water pond. After digging out a water-tight

garden area, gravel is poured into the WWG unit and rocks are placed around its borders to

protect it from rainwater and surrounding soil. It is now ready to be planted and connected to the

buildings plumbing system. The constructed wetland then collects and recycles sewage water

through the gravel, purifying the water through plant and microbial activity. Plant roots feed the bacteria housed by the gravel and on the gravels surface,

plants create the oxygen we need to breathe. The system works best in warm climates and is ideal for any infrastructure where sewage water is produced. It

has a profound visual impact on our surroundings turning untreated waste into beautiful landscaped gardens and providing an eco-friendly system thats

effective for decades. www.wastewatergardens.com, contact Florence Cattin, [email protected]

ECOLOGY WITH

AESTHETICS

TO CREATE

BEAUTIFUL

GREEN ZONES

Agraphicrepresentation

ofaWastewaterGardens

constructedwetland

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All the fun of the


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Furniture fairIf furniture design gets you in aspin, then Milans annual Furniture

Fair must be the highlight of your

Spring.

Philippe Starck Priv Collection for CASSINA:Chromed tubular steel joins blending junction pieces and seating surfaces insoft quilted leather or fabric.

Photo courtesy of Cassina

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Text: Chris Dove

DAMASCO ORO GIALLO by BIZZASA:Designer Carlo Dal Bianco in yellow damask gold from The WhiteDecoration.Photo courtesy of Bizzasa


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Every April, Europes creative capital hosts

a design marathon promoting the worlds

latest furniture talents.

More than 1,000 designrms ranging from the big

l (Al i C i D

an open-air walkway with plenty of places

for people to stop and chat about whats

on offer.

This years offerings fell into two distinct

camps: Surrealist designers whose sensa-


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players (Alessi, Cassina, De-

dos, Gandia Blasco, Kartell,Kettal, Ribia, Roche Bobois)to edgling independentsand a quarter of a millionattendants ock to the vari-ous exhibitions, installations,parties and photoshootsdotted liberally acrossItalys most stylish city.

Even the host venue is an attraction in itself.The New Milan Fairgrounds at Rho-Pero is a

massive, futuristic glass-and-steel complex

designed by Massimiliano Fuksas and fea-

tures clusters of pavilion pods strung along

tional, impractical, often supersize work

spoke more of self-expression than realistic

pieces wed buy for our homes, while a

more serious group of old-school Modern-

ists displayed their desire to make better

products for everyday use.

Current research suggests that global furni-

ture sales are now rising by 4% a year with

sales of the expensive pieces that domi-

nate Milan up by as much as 8%. Pollen

yellow and postbox red were two standout

colours that made everyone sit up and takenote. Other trends included wire-framed

furniture, furnishings made from natural

materials and shimmering nishes provided

a ashback to the dazzling disco days.

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CECCOTTI:Organic signs give a modern twist to Ceccottis histori-cal soul, pieces in which strong graphic lines are close todecoration representing contemporary lifestyles in a new,innovative stylistic theme.Photo courtesy of Ceccotti

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Philippe Starck for KARTELL:The inspired, emblematic Mademoiselle chair is a combination oftwo aesthetic categories: transparent polycarbonate and cloth the

exclusive models boast added glamour as they are now available in blackpolycarbonate too.To add more glamour to these chairs Kartell decided to let fashiondesigners such as Dior, Valentino, Galliano, Burberry, Etro, Missoni andDolce & Gabbana collaborate to create the black series.Photo courtesy of Kartell

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Once served only on special occasions in Japanesehouseholds, sushi hit the headlines when conveyor belt sushioutlets rolled into town, but its history goes back a long,long way hailing from the 7th century when the techniqueof pickling food with sweet rice-wine vinegar and packingparcels of sh with rice was rst introduced.

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SHOW ME

THE SUSHI!!!!!

Then, in the 1820s, a far-sighted entrepre-

neur named Hanaya Yohei from Edo in

Tokyo created a recipe pretty much similar

to what we eat today. Sashimi (fresh sliced

raw sh) or seafood were combined with

vinegar rice and prepared on his sushi stallwhere they went down a treat served fast

and fresh.

The rst conveyor belt sushi outlet (kaiten-

sushi) opened its doors in Osaka, Japan

back in the 1950s and sushi culture has

since spread globally to become Japans

mainstream contribution to international

cuisine. From traditional sushi restaurants

in Ginza, Tokyo to hip sushi bars in SanFrancisco and conveyor-belt restaurants

like the Yo! Sushi chain serving its fresh,

sexy, seasonal and edgy menu in the UK,

France, Dubai and Kuwait, this healthy deli-

cious mouthful is now a must-have of every

major citys culinary fare.

The most common forms are Nigiri-sushi

(hand-shaped sushi), Oshi-sushi (pressed

sushi), Maki-sushi (rolled sushi) and Chirashi-

sushi (scattered sushi) which people tend

to eat with soy sauce mixed with wasabi, a

pungent bright green Japanese horseradish.

While chopsticks are popular, most sushi con-

noisseurs use their ngers, holding each morsel

between the thumb and forenger and turning

the seafood upside down so its the rst avourto touch the tongue.

Purists even have theories about wasabi, turn-

ing up their noses at the green smooth-textured

lump were served nowadays which is rarely

real wasabi (usually ordinary horseradish with

food colouring added). The real stuff is one of

the rarest and most difcult vegetables in the

world to grow and few geographical areas

are suited for its intensive cultivation New

Zealand being one of the few places where it

can be successfully grown. Good fresh wasabi

and wasabi paste combine spicy hotness and

sweetness with a gentle fragrance, however,

unlike chilli peppers, the avour doesnt linger

too long on the tongue and subsides into a

pleasant, mild taste that even people normally

averse to hot food can enjoy.

Years ago, one couldnt practice the sushi art

form without a minimum 10 years training and

proven skill. Now, due to its growing popular-

ity, restaurants hire sushi chefs with just a few

years experience and culinary schools have

been set up entirely devoted to its philosophy

and preparation theres even a Sushi Uni-

versity in Tokyo offering a 6-12 month course.True to form, as sushi eating culture continues

to develop, the good old USA has come up

with a California roll containing avocados

and imitation crabmeat. Other creations in-

clude tuna (not used in traditional sushi), beef

and cheese, while more novel creations are

constantly cropping up along with sushi kits

and specialist products and equipment.

Know your sushiSushi should be fresh, especially the sea-

food. The rice cake should be rm and moist

enough so it doesnt disintegrate when you

pick one up with chopsticks or ngers it

should, however, crumble in your mouth

without too much munching required. If using

soy sauce with your sushi, dont dip the whole

sushi in, just dip the end of the sushi as you

eat it. Nibbling pickled ginger (called gari)

between bites helps freshen your mouth for

each new taste. Bon Apptit!


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BOOKS AND CINEMA

El Croquis 133 - Juan Navarro Baldeweg 1996-2006Editors: Richard Levene & Fernando Marquez CeciliaPublisher: El Croquis Price: 35.95One of the most highly acclaimed Spanish architects living to-


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g y p gday, Juan Navarro Baldeweg regards himself as a painter to-ingand fro-ing from one room to another, dening space and itsenergies and endeavouring to depict what is in the air and inbetween things. Now the architects bible El Croquis is treating

readers to an interview, essays and studies of 15 Baldeweg projectsincluding designs for museums, cultural centres, a hotel, a riverside park and evena mill conversion. His buildings tend to be subtle and blend unobtrusively withtheir surroundings and El Croquis do him more than proud with the quality of theirdocumentation as well.

The New ApartmentAuthor: Cristina ParedesEditor: Montse BorrasPublisher: UniversePrice: 11.50

Over 50 apartments and lofts designed by lead-

ing international architects are proled with casehistories describing the design challenges faced at each site, how thedesigner overcame them and a detailed blueprint for each apartment.Almost all the living spaces featured prove that efciency as well asbeautiful, thoughtful design can be made in a tiny setting while bene-ting the environment. Interior designers and residential architects willparticularly love it. Cristina Paredes studied Fine Arts at the Universityof Barcelona and works with several interior design magazines.

Giant new silver screen at La Gode, Paris

One of the most striking buildings in Paris, La Gode is a giant mir-ror ball 36.5 me-tres in diameterhousing a 1,000square metretheatre screen.Celebrating its21st birthdaythis year, itsmanagers arefalling overthemselves

to announcethat for therst timein its his-tory, theyvemanaged to both capture and generate live imagesin the theatre using 6 projectors on a 500 square metrescreen with a state-of-the-art sound system used to trans-mit high quality 3D and HD images. www.lageode.fr.


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Text: Ian Baxter

Traditionally, the sacrifices one

makes for the ultimate perfor-

mance of a mid-engined sports

car are a cramped interior, poor

visibility and the manners of an

adolescent at low speeds. In the

R8, Audi has developed a fine-

handling super car, which can ac-

commodate tall gym-shy drivers

and is equally at ease pottering

around town for the Sunday

papers as it is on the open road.

Even for those owners who

employ others to potter on their

behalf, this is a car that you will

find an excuse to drive at every

opportunity, as it turns even the

most mundane shopping errand

into an occasion to savour.

Put your foot down withthe

AUDI R8

However, it is on the open road where

the R8 really impresses with the even

weight distribution of the mid-engine

layout, and the rear bias of the all wheel

drive system providing neutral handling

and extremely high levels of grip. Audis

Quattro all wheel drive also instills driver

condence, even in the most slipperyconditions, so that most drivers will be

laying skid marks in their underwear long

before the car does likewise on the road


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before the car does likewise on the road.

Visually, the R8 is clothed in a stunning

aluminum body, which attracts attention

everywhere it goes. If youre a shrinking

violet and dont want every journey

to feel like youre a VIP at a movie

premiere, this is probably not the car for

you.

Audi enhances its reputation of be-

ing at the forefront of automotive

interior design with the R8, featuring a

dramatic combination of curves and

planes, covered in only the nest qual-

ity materials. Most Porsche 911 drivers

will weep with envy at the cohesive-

ness and quality of the R8s cabin.

The heart of the R8 is the 4.2 V8, withdirect fuel injection inspired by Audis

hugely successful race cars, which rst

appeared in the Audi RS4. Producing

420 bhp DIN, this engine is unabash-

edly on display under the clear en-

gine cover of the R8, like a ne gem in

a jewellery store showcase. And make

no mistake, it is a gem: with a red

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One of thesignature styling

cues is termedthe sideblade,covering the air

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gintakes on the side

of the car, and this isavailable in a number

of different finishes,adding to thealready distinctive

appearance of theR8. My only gripe

with the styling is thatthe grills on the front

and rear intakes looka little too fussy tomy eye.

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although getting lost in this car isnt too

much of a hardship. Nevertheless, it seems

that Audi is taking the piss charging extra

for a navigation system in a car costing

well north of $100 large. Fully loaded, with

a few extra cows slaughtered to cover

every surface in leather, Bang & Olufsen

sound system, carbon bre interior inlays

and youre looking at around $130 grand,

making this easily the most expensive Audi

yet produced.

While the Audi brand may lack the cachet

of Porsche in this market segment, it

represents an interesting alternative to its

Volkswagen Group sibling and, since Audi

is only manufacturing 5000 R8s per year, it

line at 8,000 rpm, this motor revs so willingly

that the computer shuts off the fun at 8250

rpm in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear, so easy is

it to reach maximum engine speed. The

benchmark 0-100 Km/h (0-62 mph) sprint

comes up in around 4.5 seconds, with a top

speed of 300 Km/h (187 mph), all of which

is accompanied by the howl of the glorious

race-bred V8.

The R8 is priced rmly in Porsche territory,

with North American prices for the 6-speed

manual starting at $110,000, while the six-

speed R-tronic automatic has a base price

of $118,000. Some features many would

take for granted at this price, such as a

navigation system, are extra cost options,

About the writer: Ian Baxters fascination with allforms of automotive transport started at an early age,owning his rst motorbike from the age of 12. Sincethen, he has been a serial buyer, owning and rebuildingnumerous cars and motorbikes. He currently owns anAudi RS4 and a Porsche 911.Since graduating from the University of Hertfordshire,London with a Bachelor of Engineering degree, Ianscareer has been spent in the computer softwareindustry, specializing in Computer Aided Design (CAD).He is currently Director of Worldwide Technical

Support at SolidWorks Corporation.

is also a more exclusive performance car.

For those who care more about design and

dynamics than brand snobbery the R8 is

denitely worth serious consideration.

This motor revs so willinglythat the computer shuts offthe fun at 8250 rpm in 1st,2nd and 3rd gear, so easyis it to reach maximum en-gine speed.

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modern design [issue no. 1]

Documents