New York architecture studios SO-IL and Office of Strategy + Design have announced plans for the adaptive reuse of a series of warehouse buildings at a marina on the Detroit River as part of the Little Village development.

The project includes the conversion of four warehouses into an integrated "arts campus". It is part of the Stanton Yard development led by New York architecture studio Office of Strategy + Design (OSD), which will convert the area in between the buildings – currently serving as dry dockage – into a landscaped outdoor area.

OSD will also convert the waterfront of the marina into green public space and has designed a new waterfront building for the site.

SO-IL will provide critical restorations of the structures and unify the campus through a courtyard area that will connect to the buildings as well as to the street and adjacent marina.

Multiple entrance points from the street will be lined with sloped meshed canopies and a series of perforated barriers will be erected around the campus.

"With interior spaces ready to be tailored to any number of art-making, workshop, educational, performance, gallery, and recreational possibilities, our intervention creates a porous space in which programs exist in dialogue with the city and one another," said SO-IL.

The forms of the existing structures will remain generally as is. But renderings from SO-IL show the introduction of new architectural roofs, the most stand-out being a white sawtooth roof to be added to the entrance building.

Metal siding will replaced at certain junctures by polycarbonate panels to bring in diffuse light to the flexible art spaces within.

"We wanted to celebrate the site's industrial character, while clearly demonstrating its renewed purpose and identity," said SO-IL principal Florian Idenburg.

The studio said that other interventions into the current structures will include "polished metal, hammered concrete, and layered brick" but did not elaborate on the interiors or layouts of the buildings themselves or the specific uses of these materials.

According to SO-IL, these interventions will "reclaim the industrial locale, restoring its natural beauty". The adjacent marina will remain functioning.

Stanton Yards is one of many interventions developed by the local arts institution Library Street Collective to rejuvenate disused aspects of Detroit.

"As Detroit undergoes a waterfront renaissance, Stanton Yards shows the importance of designing from the outside-in, giving priority to people and the land as a means to creating a thriving new community destination for the city," said OSD principal Simon David.

It is part of a neighbourhood that the developers call Little Village, which includes a church converted into an art gallery by Peterson Rich Office and an in-progress conversion of a bakery into artist studios by OMA.

Elsewhere in the city, New York architecture studio ODA renovated the historic Book Tower skyscraper, adding restaurants and a hotel.

The images are by Bloomimages. 

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The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features a conversion of a Czech slaughterhouse into an art gallery. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now.

Architecture studio KWK Promes has repurposed a slaughterhouse in the Czech Republic into the Plato Contemporary Art Gallery, featuring exhibition spaces lined with rotating concrete walls.

These additions comprise six large rotating walls. Three act as entrances to the gallery, while the remaining three open their exhibition spaces to the surroundings.

Commenters were stunned by the renovation, with one lauding it as a "very smart intervention" and a "highly cultural architecture refurbishment". Another agreed, describing it as "simultaneously whimsical and reverent".

Other stories in this week's newsletter that fired up the comments section include four skyscrapers and a series of public spaces in Toronto designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, the winner of the Mies van der Rohe Award for Europe's best new building and a collection of surreal furniture created for Schiaparelli.

Dezeen Debate

Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.

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Architecture studio KWK Promes has converted a slaughterhouse in the Czech Republic into Plato Contemporary Art Gallery, with exhibition spaces lined with rotating concrete walls.

Located in Ostrava, the original heritage-protected slaughterhouse building dates back to the 19th century, but after decades of disuse, it had become dilapidated and partially collapsed.

Tasked with adapting the structure into an art gallery, KWK Promes added an extension and concrete infills that contrast the existing sooty brickwork but mimic its ornamentation.

These additions include six large rotating walls, three of which provide entry to Plato Contemporary Art Gallery and three that allow its exhibition spaces to be opened to the surroundings.

"We introduced a solution that makes art more democratic," explained the studio.

"The main idea of the project is based on preserving the functionality of the openings as shortcuts connecting the building to the city," it added. "This has provided artists and curators with entirely new exhibition possibilities and allows art to literally 'go out' into the space around the building."

Plato Contemporary Art Gallery's rotating walls create two entrances on either side of the building, leading into a central reception, ticket office and cafe area.

The four exhibition halls each sit on the ground floor around the edges of the building, allowing them to benefit from natural light and a connection to the surrounding park.

The new wing at the building's southern end replaces a section of the original slaughterhouse that collapsed during the renovation but was needed by the gallery to meet its spatial requirements.

Inside, it contains an additional exhibition hall with offices above, finished externally with a blind concrete facade decorated with the impressions of windows, sills and lintels to echo the rotating doors.

On the first floor, this wing connects to a small group of rooms for visiting guests and a space for the gallery's educational programme.

"Following extensive discussions, we made the decision to rebuild using new materials, mirroring the approach we took with the rotating gates," the studio told Dezeen.

"Our objective was to preserve the conceptual coherence of the entire project, clearly delineating between historical elements and contemporary interventions."

While the original brickwork has been left visible internally in the circulation areas, the galleries have been reinsulated and lined with lime plaster, with deep reveals created for the building's numerous small arched windows.

"The deteriorated bricks have been mostly replenished with those recovered from a collapsed section of the building, [and] the new glazing has a ceramic screen print, making it appear dark and dull, attenuating the light in the galleries," said KWK Promes.

Surrounding Plato Contemporary Art Gallery, KWK Promes landscaped a park with trees, flower meadows and a small pool of water, with a gravel terrace around the gallery connecting to a series of paths.

"Initially, we imagined a paved surface for artistic activities, but as we got to know Ostrava better, we realised that the place was more in need of attractive green space for residents," explained the studio.

"The contaminated soil there has been rehabilitated and replaced by a biodiverse park with water-permeable floors, flower meadows and with retention basins."

KWK Promes is a Polish architecture studio founded in Katowice in 1999 by Robert Konieczny and Marlena Wolnik. Its other recent projects include the white-concrete House on the Road and Quadrant House, which features a rotating living space.

Plato Contemporary Art Gallery was recently named one of seven finalists in this year's Mies van der Rohe Award for Europe's best new building.

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Designer Maria Vittoria Paggini has used colourful wallpaper and murals depicting nude bodies concealed behind peepholes to transform her home for Milan design week.

Located in the 5vie design district in the heart of the city, Casa Ornella is annually redesigned by Vittoria Paggini who presents the project during Milan design week.

This year, the property – which is also partly an art gallery, is themed "porno-chic".

"Casa Ornella is a maximalist house" said the designer, who is opening up her home to the public during the week.

"Porno-chic stems from a strong need for rediscovery and self-awareness. To achieve this, I felt the need to bare myself and decided to use the metaphor of the naked body, pushing it to the extreme to make it invisible to the eyes," she told Dezeen.

"Going beyond that, porno-chic aims to be a style of 'rebirth,' a recognition of oneself through the home or any place to inhabit."

The interiors feature a living space characterised by artist Tatiana Brodatch's striking wallpaper. Oversized spots and stripes in pink and purple hues form the backdrop for images of faceless, nude male sculptures touching themselves.

Finished in Brodatch's signature lumpy plasticine, the figures look like they are flying through space.

Two boothlike, art deco armchairs with burl wood casing were positioned next to this feature wall, as well as a translucent table designed by Vittoria Paggini and topped with twisting, marble and Murano glass candelabras by Aina Kari.

Visitors can see Brodatch's wallpaper through a circular peephole on one of the corridors, which adds to the "sensual" atmosphere of the home, according to the designer.

Elsewhere, brown curtains illustrated with naked female bodies and a small but suggestive figurative sculpture sitting on a silver tray are reflected in a swollen gold mirror.

One corridor is characterised by a large-scale floor mural of a nude woman, created as a set of abstract brown and pink shapes.

The only room not open to the public is the bedroom, which is decorated with a graphic, floor-to-ceiling mural of naked men surrounded by decadent architecture, influenced by 13th-century paintings.

Visitors can view the bedroom mural, created by Milanese illustrator Damiano Groppi, through another peephole.

Sugary pink walls, striped and chequerboard accents and multiple mirrored surfaces throughout the home add to its maximalist design.

Casa Ornella also includes two more Vittoria Paggini-designed products, which are being debuted for the design week and take cues from "the world of jewellery".

These are bulbous gold taps created for Milanese brand Manoli – positioned above veiny Gio Ponti basins in the bathroom – and slender light switches designed for Officine Morelli.

According to Vittoria Paggini, these pieces are "what is most characteristic of the porno-chic style".

"They serve two different functions but have the same language that aims to communicate sensuality and timeless elegance."

The annual Milan design week has kicked off in the Italian city, with projects on display ranging from a collection of everyday objects designed using algae and sculptural lights by Leo Maher that reference "a hot-pot of queer culture".

The photography is courtesy of Maria Vittoria Paggini.

Casa Ornella is on display at Via Conca di Naviglio 10, Milan, during Milan Design Week from 15 to 21 April 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.

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Local architect Julio Sanchez Arimayn has converted an industrial warehouse building into creative studios interspersed throughout two stories and punctuated by mezzanines in Buenos Aires.

Called Espinosa Estudios, the 900-square-metre building contains seven studio spaces, cooking areas, a porch, restrooms and a cafe to host creative programming.

"It was a warehouse, with a series of buildings inside," said Arimayn's team. "A house upfront converted into offices, a chorizo house in the centre, a large industrial mezzanine – a concrete structure without much meaning. It was a great sum of moments and patched needs, all under a large tin roof."

On the ground level, Arimayn placed studio spaces of increasing size along one side of the building, creating an internal "street" that runs alongside them.

The building's entrance lies at the beginning of the ground-level hallway, while a cafe was placed directly to its side. Bathrooms and kitchens are located at the centre of both floors and surround a staircase.

"All the workspaces are linked to this street, allowing and encouraging interaction, the possibility of crossover, collaboration," said the team.

This hallway runs the interior length of the building and is semi-covered by second-floor openings, mezzanines and a tile-floor porch located at the centre of the building.

The largest of the ground-level spaces sits at the end of the building and is double-height, exposed to the building's curving roof.

In the same space, a white insertion creates a gallery or stage space, further denoted by curved corners that hit the otherwise concrete floor.

On the first floor, the creative spaces are much larger and connect to the building's open-air porch, or "lung".

"A porch on the first floor generates a common outdoor space and functions as the lung of the project," said the team.

The interior is lined with translucent polycarbonate panels, and has double-height spaces and openings so that it receives natural light from the large, glazed openings in the domed roof.

Some openings and gaps throughout the first floor connect directly to the outdoors.

Arimayn used concrete, galvanized steel and white-washed walls to make up the majority of the interior, while textural details were interspersed throughout.

"[The materials] were selected to create the large surfaces we needed without the need for external suppliers, but rather could be manufactured on-site," said Arimayn. "This is how we were able to lower construction costs considerably."

Other material details include a small wall section covered in fluted concrete, white-washed brick, French doors, and one studio topped with lighting scattered along metal strips.

"The construction of Espinosa was a process of experimentation, of tests in the place, of material search," said the team. "There is a balance between the old-existing-murario, and the new: lightweight – industrialized space closures and dividers."

Espinosa Estudios will be used for private studios and co-working, as well as public gallery shows and other events.

"In Espinosa, there is an air of simplicity, rationality and truth of materials. There is no ornament. It's like a blank sheet for things to happen," said the team.

Julia Sanchez Arimayn is a Buenos-Aires-based architect who studied and worked at the University of Buenos Aires. After twenty years of experience working in the construction industry, he has since opened an eponymous studio. Espinosa Estudios is his first project.

Other recently completed projects around Buenos Aires include a 1980s home conversion lined with second-floor ribbon windows by Daniel Canda and a small bookstore lined with textured concrete walls.

The photography is by Fernando Schapochnik.

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Brooklyn architecture studio Peterson Rich Office has adapted an early-1900s Detroit church into The Shepherd arts centre, inserting contemporary art galleries into its nave and transept.

Peterson Rich Office's (PRO) conversion of the original Romanesque-style Good Shepherd Church was based on a desire to keep the "integrity" of its structure intact while creating a performance space, library and two white cube galleries throughout the interior. It is part of the Little Village redevelopment project in the city's East Village.

"PRO's adaptive reuse of the church focused on keeping the integrity of the original architecture intact, while strategically inserting elements into the space to both introduce new programming and to allow for new ways to experience the historic building," said the studio.

The studio removed the "ritual elements of the congregation" from the church's centre and inserted a square gallery unit topped with a mezzanine along the church's nave, which visitors pass through as they enter.

Tucked just in front of this first gallery space, PRO created a brown-painted steel spiral staircase, which leads up to the mezzanine that will host additional programming.

"A new arched-shaped rounded steel staircase rises in front of one of the original stained glass windows," said the studio.

"The stair is clearly contemporary in its materials, construction, and detailing, but has a formal resonance with the existing arches throughout the building."

On the interior of the gallery, an oculus rises through the ceiling to look up at the church's barrel-vaulted ceiling.

This gallery creates a direct view from the church's entrance to the remaining central altar, which was left open for performances and larger installations.

On one arm of the structure's cross, a space was created for the Little Village Arts Library, a branch of the Black Art Library. It houses monographs, exhibition catalogues, children's books and research materials centred around Black artists and movements.

These materials were housed in a long storage unit in front of the church's original wooden confessionals, which PRO repurposed into audio listening booths.

The studio also inserted bookshelves into the confessionals to provide additional space for materials.

Wooden chairs and tables were placed in the area for visitors to use.

Across the East Village Arts Library, in the opposite transept, PRO inserted an additional gallery unit that mirrors the cube form of the gallery placed in the nave. An oculus was also placed at its centre.

Notches were removed from the corners of both galleries that face the church's columns as "a playful gesture toward the existing architecture" said the studio.

PRO also paid homage to the original palette of the church by wrapping the top of galleries in the same brown metal used for the stairs.

"A band of metal wraps around the top of the galleries, continuing the datum line of the surrounding ornate cornicing, similar in material and tone but still reading as something different," said the studio.

Both galleries were finished in a textured plaster.

Warm-toned lighting was integrated throughout the larger church to highlight architectural features, while a cool, even light was used for the interior of the galleries.

The church's exterior was kept largely unchanged, save for the introduction of a "thin, illuminated metal shroud" spanning a central arch as a subtle nod to its new use.

The conversion is part of the wider Little Village development spearheaded by the art institution Library Street Collective, which will encompass several cultural buildings and outdoor areas.

The Shepherd is located on a corner of 3.75 acre (1.5 hectre) Little Village site and will act as an "anchor" for the wider development.

The Shepherd will open in May 2024 along with other projects including the Lantern, a building with spaces for non-profits, artist studios and shops designed by OMA and a permanent sculpture garden dedicated to artist Charles McGee.

The Little Village project also includes a Tony Hawk and McArthur Binion-designed public skatepark, a bed and breakfast designed by local studio Rossetti, culinary arts spaces and a restaurant housed in converted homes by local studio Undecorated and a bar housed in a former garage.

Other projects recently completed in Detroit include a colourful school housed in a former Catholic college and a historic garage converted into a black-box theatre.

Photography is by Jason Keen courtesy of the Library Street Collective

Architect: Peterson Rich Office
PRO project team: Nathan Rich, Miriam Peterson, Amber Farrow, Alex Bodkin, Ben Hochberg, Varoon Kelekar, Martin Carillo, Peik Shelton
General contractor: CIR Group
Local architect: Ark-Tec LLC
Structural engineer: Silman
MEP engineer: Salas O’Brien
Lighting consultant: Andy Watson
Business development consultant: Above The Fold

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Architecture studio Buzz has transformed three sunken courtyards created for an underground car park into gallery, event and activity spaces for Beijing MAHA Arts Centre in China.

Collectively named the Hermit Space, the three venues are each designed with a distinct atmosphere and intended to "seamlessly integrate" with the parkland surroundings.

"We attempt to investigate whether other spatial categories can be inspired or filled by art and content to further extend the new forms of art space," explained Buzz.

"[The project] aims to connect art spaces with nature, communities, and commuting routes, creating links between two points," it added.

The largest and most central venue is Islet Space. It is enclosed with a sloping grass roof surrounded by a ring of skylights that illuminate the main gallery space and cafe below.

A staircase framed by stone-clad walls surrounds its roof, leading down into the white-walled interior where sliding glass doors connect the gallery and cafe.

"Standing inside, one can see a large open void space illuminated by natural light, creating the impression of a floating metal island in a halo of light, hence its name," said the studio.

"The central design of the main exhibition hall echoes the design of the top, creating an exhibition scene with a similar sense of floating," it added.

The second courtyard, named Cave Space, has been topped by a curving concrete roof that blends in with the park to create a small hill, with a glazed cut-out bringing light into the installation and media art space below.

Inside, the white walls of the Islet Space have been swapped for continuous, curving surfaces of exposed concrete, intended to evoke a cave.

"Its form originates from a smooth curve, as if splitting open a gap in the ground, and the entrance naturally winds its way down into the building," explained Buzz.

"In the afternoon, sunlight filters through the surrounding buildings, shining into the gap in the ground, leaving behind swaying tree shadows."

The smallest of the three Hermit Space venues, the Ravine Space, is topped by a skateboard area and contains an indoor climbing wall and activity room below.

Surrounding a square in the centre of the park, each space is designed for visitors to encounter as they stroll through the park, or can be accessed more directly via the car park beside which they sit.

"The underground parking lot is traditionally seen as a building's negative entrance," said the studio.

"However, today, the underground garage has become an unavoidable path for people's comings and goings, even serving as a crucial interface for entering communities," it added.

Buzz was founded by Ziyu Zhuang in 2016 and has offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Berlin.

Other re-use projects recently completed in Beijing include FOG Architecture's transformation of a historic courtyard house into a flagship store for a fragrance brand and Approach Design's retrofit of a former police station into an office and urban park.

The photography is by Yumeng Zhu unless otherwise stated.

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The rough finishes of an existing concrete and brick structure are contrasted by white exhibition spaces at Arario Gallery in Seoul, completed by Japanese studio Schemata Architects.

The gallery is located at the rear of the Space Group Building, a modernist icon in South Korea that houses the Arario Museum.

Designed by architect Kim Swoo-geun, the grey-brick, heritage-listed building was completed in the 1970s and converted into the museum in 2014.

Alongside this building is a glazed extension from the 1990s by architect Jang Se-yang, a student of Swoo-geun, as well as a traditional South Korean home, or hanok, which was relocated to the site when it reopened in 2014.

Amid this architectural backdrop is a brick and concrete structure added to the site in the 1980s, which Schemata Architects was tasked with converting into the Arario Gallery.

"It was a great challenge for me, a Japanese architect, to work on the third building – excluding the hanok – especially after seeing the perfect contrast between the two buildings already created by the master and the disciple," said Schemata Architects Principal Jo Nagasaka.

Looking to create a space that "looks unchanged on the outside", the studio retained the building's structural frame and dark brickwork, originally chosen to complement the Space Group Building.

"In this context, we thought that inserting another unique feature into the landscape would not be appropriate," explained Nagasaka.

Organised across four floors and a basement level, the white-walled gallery spaces sit alongside the existing staircase, lift, service and storage areas, where the structure's rough material finishes have been left exposed.

In these more industrial-feeling spaces, walls have been made using plywood on metal frames. Teamed with metal doors and white metal balustrades, they deliberately stand out against the "skeleton" of the existing building.

In the basement, the dark grey brickwork of the adjacent museum is mirrored in a brick floor that extends throughout the space.

On the third floor, sections of the exterior wall were removed to create a full-height glass wall in the VIP area. This looks out towards the nearby Changdeokgung Palace and a surrounding park, also visible through windows in the stairwell.

"In this way, we established repetitive patterns where visitors would emerge from the white cube into a skeleton space and see the palace beyond as they ascend to the upper floors," said Nagasaka.

Schemata Architects is a Tokyo-based studio, Founded in 1998 by Nagasaka after he graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts.

Its previous projects include a public bathhouse in Tokyo finished with turquoise tiles and a hillside guesthouse and bar for a home on the coast of an island in the Seto Inland Sea.

The photography is by Yongjoon Choi.

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Collectible design gallery Objects with Narratives has opened its first permanent brick-and-mortar outpost inside a historic 1920s fur atelier in Brussels.

The gallery occupies 2,000 square metres over three floors of a landmark beaux-arts building on the Place du Grand Sablon, originally constructed as the sales room and workshop of Belgian furrier Raymond Mallien.

Over the following century, Grand Sablon 40 went on to house a museum and the auction house of Yves Saint Laurent co-founder Pierre Bergé before Objects with Narratives (OWN) took over the building.

"When we figured out that the space was available, we couldn't say no," said Nik Vandewyngaerde, who founded OWN with his brother Robbe and longtime friend Oskar Eryatmaz.

Most of the ground level still features the original beaux-art interiors of Mallien's fur boutique from 1921. The former shop floor with its gilded mouldings, wall frescoes and giant chandeliers now serves as the gallery's front room.

Next door, a wood-panelled boardroom houses OWN's library of material samples and catalogues and is used for meetings with clients and designers.

"The light bulbs have been changed but all the rest is original," Vandewyngaerde said of the interior.

In the back and on the upper two storeys, OWN worked with the existing whitewashed industrial spaces that once housed Mallien's workshops.

Offering a dramatic contrast with the gilded splendour of the boutique, these now house a classic "white cube" gallery space, an open floor for exhibitions and a showroom styled to evoke a modern residence.

For the front room, OWN selected freestanding furniture that would leave the protected interior untouched and have the visual gravitas necessary to not be dwarfed by its surroundings.

"The room itself is so powerful, so it needs pieces that are very, very strong," Robbe Vandewyngaerde told Dezeen. "If you just put a nice vase there, it's going to be lost."

Mirroring black-and-white photos of the original interior, OWN arranged the furniture into loose seating areas with standout pieces including a marble coffee table shaped like a giant pillow by Belgian designer Ben Storms and Mircea Anghel's Lose Control sideboard, formed by exploding dynamite in a copper frame.

To complement the blue skies painted across the room's frescoes and ceiling vaults, OWN introduced a translucent resin console table by Austrian designer Laurids Gallée and the flowing fibreglass Wave chaise by former surfboard maker Lukas Cober.

The furrier's boardroom has largely maintained its former layout and is now centred on a circular charred-timber table surrounded by sculptural seating by German designer Lisa Ertel and British artist Alun Heslop.

The other gallery spaces will host a rotating roster of exhibitions and events with a particular focus on championing homegrown design talent.

For the gallery's opening, which coincided with the Collectible design fair at the beginning of March, there were dedicated solo shows by Belgian designers Ben Storms and Lionel Jadot.

"We used to work more with international artists – and we still do," Nik Vandewyngaerde said.

"But we've started to focus more on Belgian artists because we're now here, to support the local economy. But also because it's easier in a way to be closer, to give more direction, to visit their studios."

OWN started life in 2022 as a nomadic gallery for collectible design, highlighting work from a small roster of friends and acquaintances of the Vandewyngaerde brothers – both trained architects who cut their teeth at studios Herzog & de Meuron and OMA respectively.

Grand Sablon 40 marks OWN's first investment in a brick-and-mortar gallery and will offer a more permanent home for its designers outside of fairs like Collectible, PAD or Art Brussels.

"It's a lot of money but we had a very good last year and we believe in the space," Robbe Vandewyngaerde said.

Despite only one of the founders being based in Brussels, the trio says the capital of the European Union was an obvious choice for the gallery's first outpost.

With the rebirth of the industrial area around the Brussels Canal – soon set to house various maker studios and an outpost of the Centre Pompidou inside a former Citroën factory – OWN believes the city is on track to be Europe's next cultural capital.

"It doesn't have the allure yet of Paris or London," Robbe Vandewyngaerde said. "But a lot of artists are coming here to live because they cannot afford Paris, they cannot afford Amsterdam, they cannot afford London."

"Brussels is still a capital city that has a city feeling but it's much more accessible," he added. "It's going to take five to 10 to 15 years. But I do feel like Brussels is a place that's going to be competing with London or Paris."

The city's Collectible design fair hosted its seventh edition this month, with standout projects including a games room curated by OWN, a daybed upholstered in wet clay and a homeware collection that wears traces of its CNC fabrication as decoration.

This year will also mark the fair's expansion into the US with the launch of its inaugural New York edition in September.

The photography is by Tijs Vervecken.

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Collectible design gallery StudioTwentySeven has taken over a huge space in a Tribeca textile building, creating a warm and serene environment to present museum-sized, limited-edition pieces.

The gallery's New York City flagship at the corner of Church and Leonard Streets covers 7,000 square feet (650 square metres) across the ground floor of a 1901 neoclassical building by architect Henry J Hardenbergh.

Formerly Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Restaurant 66, the grand space benefits from double-height ceilings and eight 16-foot-tall windows on two sides, overlooking the mirrored Anish Kapoor sculpture squashed beneath Herzog & de Meuron's "Jenga Tower".

StudioTwentySeven founders Nacho Polo and Robert Onsuka, who started their venture in Miami in 2018, chose this location for the New York flagship for its "monumental scale" and ability to showcase huge sculptural works.

"The building's elaborately carved facade, and its stone entry staircase leading to beautifully restored original triple doors, set the tone for what clients of StudioTwentySeven will experience inside – a space that is sophisticated yet genuinely welcoming," said the duo.

Led by Polo, the renovation of interiors involved the introduction of curved walls and a rotunda, along with an archway fitted with a 12-foot-tall, hand-carved chestnut door.

The team worked with lighting specialists L'Observatorie to design a custom system that imbues the space with a warm atmospheric quality, complementing the pieces on display.

A massive bronze and glass chandelier comprising hundreds of individual petals is suspended above an organically shaped French oak and waxed bronze dining table.

Pale oak floors run throughout the gallery, in places separated from the walls by glowing bands of light, and sheer curtains diffuse the abundance of natural light that enters during the day.

Other architectural details include a tall fireplace shaped into the hand-plastered walls and a chestnut-lined library hidden behind a pair of discreet doors, designed to "create moments of surprise".

For the gallery's opening in February 2023, several museum-sized works from Polo and Onsuka's private collection were installed in the space.

These include a hanging bear by Italian artist Paola Pivi, which had to be transported from the Aspen Art Museum in a special truck, and a bronze sculpture titled Owl and Boy by Japan-based Otani Workshop.

Polo and Onsuka, who were judges for Dezeen Awards 2023, also has a gallery space in Miami's Little River – open by appointment only – and another London's Mayfair due to open later this year.

Their new flagship in Tribeca joins a multitude of collectible design galleries in the Downtown NYC neighbourhood, like R & Company and Egg Collective, where expansive former industrial lofts provide ideal settings for presenting furniture, lighting and art.

The photography is by William Jess Laird.

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Danish fashion brand Samsøe Samsøe has launched a pop-up gallery for Paris Fashion Week that features an all-white interior decorated with artwork and furniture made from the brand's T-shirts.

The exhibition space was designed to have a pared-down feel in a nod to the brand's Basic collection, which is launching during the fashion week in the French capital.

Samsøe Samsøe's in-house design team created the gallery together with set designer Fatima Fransson to be a "blank canvas" and bring the brand's vision of "Scandinavian simplicity" to life.

"The overall design is inspired by the way in which our Basic collection is structured," Samsøe Samsøe art director Jelena Fijan told Dezeen.

"We took the timeless, long-lasting approach of the product to be central at the space, which gives it a contemporary art gallery feel," she added.

"[We wanted] to create a welcoming but abstract feeling for the visitor."

The resulting space, located in Paris's Le Marais neighbourhood, has a stark all-white interior punctuated by a central counter partly made from the brand's clothes.

"By creating a high-block bar, the installation functions both as an art piece and as a community table for people to connect and talk," Fijan said.

"As this is the central piece in the space, we left some room for the brain to work, and we wanted to create a minimalist and long-lasting feel," she added.

The block was made from plywood and epoxy resin, which was then covered in reclaimed T-shirts worn by the Samsøe Samsøe team.

The space also features artworks made from cashmere knits that were placed in plywood forms layered with a concrete-mixed plaster.

After Paris Fashion Week ends, the set will be moved to the brand's headquarters in Copenhagen.

Other fashion stores with a minimalist interior include Swedish brand Toteme's flagship London store, designed by Halleroed, and Balenciaga's concrete Berlin store, which references the city's modernist architecture.

The photography is courtesy of Samsøe Samsøe.

The Samsøe Samsøe gallery is located on 16 Rue Caffarelli, 75003 Paris, and will be open 28 February to 3 March. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza has expanded the Serralves Museum in Porto, which he completed in 1999, with an angular extension housing some of his archival works.

Named the Álvaro Siza Wing, the three-storey extension has a geometric shape that branches out from the existing museum and slots in between the trees in Serralves Park.

The Álvaro Siza Wing is the latest collaboration between the 90-year-old architect and the Serralves Foundation – the cultural institution behind the Serralves villa and museum, which are located within the park.

It opened over the weekend with C.A.S.A., a showcase of work by Siza, and a permanent exhibition of the Serralves Foundation's archives titled Improbable Anagrams.

Siza completed the Serralves Museum in 1999 before going on to create the Manoel de Oliveira Cinema House in 2019 and a gardener's house and the restoration of the Serralves art deco building in 2021.

With the opening of the Álvaro Siza Wing, the Serralves Foundation aims to celebrate its relationship with Siza while increasing its capacity to showcase its archive and visiting exhibitions.

"This museum deserved to overcome the limitations of space that constrained its capacity for artistic dissemination, and that's what brought us here," said the foundation's CEO Ana Pinho.

"This building represents a new milestone for Serralves while paying a well-deserved tribute to Álvaro Siza – one of the greatest names in the history of world architecture."

An elevated gallery bridges over an outdoor walkway to connect the Álvaro Siza Wing with the existing museum.

"The new building maintains a perfect relationship with the building complex," said the Serralves Foundation.

The extension's walls are made from reinforced concrete with cork insulation and covered with white-painted plaster on the exterior. Granite panels form a grey band wrapping the bottom of the walls.

Inside, white plasterboard lines the walls while geometric boards on the ceilings diffuse artificial light.

With one floor dedicated to the Serralves archives and two floors for art and architecture exhibitions, the expansion adds up to 75 per cent extra space for the museum's reserves and 5o per cent more space for new exhibitions, according to the foundation.

The wing opened with the C.A.S.A. exhibition, an acronym for Coleção Álvaro Siza Arquivo, which explores the different meanings of the word "house" through the work of Siza.

"The Álvaro Siza Wing was built to be a house for the collection, hence why the first and main chapter of the show was named Coming Back Home, displaying the largest global ensemble of Sizian designs," the Serralves Foundation explained.

Other projects designed by Siza that have been featured on Dezeen include a monolithic art pavilion in South Korea and a Manhattan skyscraper clad in limestone.

C.A.S.A. is on display at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto, Portugal, from 24 February to 24 August 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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The Design Space AlUla gallery is set to open this weekend in a Corten steel-latticed building designed by Italian architects Giò Forma Studio in the town of AlUla, Saudi Arabia.

Situated in a low-lying complex, Design Space AlUla was established by the government-led Royal Commission for AlUla as part of a wider redevelopment of the region. It aims to showcase works from around the country and overseas and build a local design community.

The space's opening exhibition, Mawrid: Celebrating Inspired Design, presents 10 recent projects in AlUla spanning everything from the "macro", such as architecture and urban design, to the "micro" of graphic and jewellery design.

The showcased projects include the Cultural Oasis District masterplan by UK practice Prior + Partners, a mirrored concert hall by Giò Forma Studio and Black Engineering that sits in the desert like a mirage and SAL Architects' restrained renovation of a local mosque, demonstrating the guidelines set for regeneration projects within AlUla.

On the more "micro" end of the spectrum, there is the visual identity and logo for Design Space AlUla, created by designers Clara Sancho and Pascal Zoghbi in reference to the building's lattice screens.

The AlUla project also encompasses a design award, now in its second year, and a new design residency – both of which are showcased as part of the inaugural exhibition.

Projects from the AlUla Design Award include a jewellery design by Bahraini architect Sara Kanoo based on the pyramidal motifs of the ancient tombs in nearby Hegra and a folding chair that doubles as a prayer mat by Saudi designer firm Shaddah Studio.

The gallery is contained within a building designed by Italian architects Giò Forma Studio and Black Engineering, which was completed in 2022 and is recognisable for its facade of rust-coloured Corten steel.

This wraps around the building on all sides and features a cut-out pattern inspired by the modernist breeze blocks commonly used in the district's architecture.

Lattice-like and delicate-looking, the screens cast dramatic shadows into the interior courtyard and some of the galleries.

The name and vision for Design Space AlUla came after the building, once the character and needs of the revitalised AlUla area were more established, according to architect, urban planner and Design Space AlUla curator Sara Ghani.

Ghani and her team consulted widely to develop their plans for the institution, including with former London Design Museum co-director Alice Black, and Ghani says she wants the space to become "a benchmark to the world".

In addition, design itself has come to play an increasingly important role in the identity of the area as the project developed, with designers invited to produce street furniture or products coming up with highly location-specific responses.

"It was apparent that everything we were doing here is a design activity," said Ghani. "We felt that we really needed a space within AlUla to showcase everything that's being done."

The space was built as part of a comprehensive masterplan to preserve and regenerate the wider area – one that Ghani told Dezeen was designed to fit in with and enhance the natural and cultural landscape.

"You will never see a high-rise skyscraper building in AlUla," said Ghani, who also served as planning and design lead on the AlUla development project. "We're doing everything we can as the custodians and the guardians of this landscape to preserve the rich heritage."

The AlUla area includes an old town that provided an oasis on an ancient trading route between Damascus and Medina, as well as the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hegra, built by the Nabataean people in the same period when they built Petra in Jordan.

The government-led Royal Commission for AlUla has been in charge of developing the area for tourism since 2017 and has taken a distinctly different approach than that seen in the mega projects that Saudi Arabia has become known for, such as Neom and The Line.

Here, the strategy has been to ensure all new buildings and renovations have a low visual impact that does not interfere with the natural landscape and heritage architecture and to engage local residents, who Ghani says are "very creative".

The development of AlUla forms part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 programme, which is intended to diversify the country's economy away from oil.

Also planned for AlUla are a cave hotel carved into desert hills by French architect Jean Nouvel and a Bedouin-inspired luxury tent resort by French architecture studio AW2.

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Chinese studio Neri&Hu has designed a contemporary art gallery for Ota Fine Arts in Shanghai with a focus on the "sublime beauty of the banal".

The gallery sits on the ground floor of a mixed-use tower at Rockbund, a development amidst the historical Bund in Shanghai along the Huangpu River, where a series of restored colonial art deco buildings are located.

"The primary design challenge was to utilise the areas along the facade for both storage and display, blurring the distinction between functional and experiential space," explained Neri&Hu.

"This deepened threshold condition found on both facades defines the visitor's arrival sequence and journey within."

The facade of the gallery was framed in aged steel, with portions of solid metal and large glass panels arranged to form a window display for the artworks.

Handmade ivory tiles line the inner side of the window in a subtle woven pattern, serving as a neutral backdrop for the art pieces.

An oversized sliding door marks the entry to the gallery on the eastern facade. When opened, the entrance of the gallery is revealed, with the outer sliding door framing the window display next to it.

When closed, the door slides back to its original position and allows the full-height glazed window to be exposed.

The western facade features a warehouse-sized door that can be fully opened using a custom-designed handle. This allows large artworks to be delivered directly from a designated parking area into the gallery.

Neri&Hu also added fluted glass to the exterior, which glows in the evening to illuminate the adjacent Rockbund courtyard and add elegance to the functional facade.

Inside the gallery, the 350 square-metre space is divided into two zones – a 150-square-metre main public viewing gallery and a private zone that houses VIP rooms and office space.

The pared-back, white VIP rooms feature contemporary furniture pieces with custom-made white tiles and a stained oak floor and were designed to create a relaxing environment, in which the attention can be focused on the art itself.

"The project's understated material palette and overall conceptual underpinning lies in the juxtaposition of old and new, raw and refined, ordinary and spectacular," said Neri&Hu.

"We hope one can appreciate the sublime beauty of the banal, as much as the brilliance of contemporary art," it added.

Neri&Hu was founded by architects Lyndon Neri and Rosanna Hu in 2004 in Shanghai.

Other recent projects completed by the studio include the Sanya Wellness Retreat hotel on the Chinese island of Hainan and a fashion boutique with fabrics and marble screens.

The photography is by Zhu Runzi.

Project credits:

Partners-in-charge: Lyndon Neri, Rossana Hu
Associate-in-charge: Jacqueline Min
Senior interior designer-in-charge: Phil Wang
Design team: Rovi Qu
FF&E procurement: Design Republic
Contractors: ETQ Project (Shanghai) Limited

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Indian studio Malik Architecture has turned a 144-year-old ice factory in Ballard Estate, Mumbai, into the IF.BE contemporary gallery.

The renovation, led and funded by Malik Architecture, aimed to preserve the ex-industrial space, which is in an area where the majority of un-listed buildings are demolished, and create an arts development that could serve as "a reference for the past and future".

Named IF.BE – Ice Factory Ballard Estate, the gallery was designed around a central courtyard.

"The drawing archives revealed a continuous courtyard connecting Calicut and Cochin Street, which is currently cluttered with ad-hoc structures and metal roofs: physical evidence of the apathy with which these beautiful fragments of history are treated," Malik Architecture principal architect Arjun Malik told Dezeen.

The studio retained a large Banyan Tree in the central courtyard, which had begun to cause damage to the historic building fabric with its spreading roots.

Malik Architecture repaired the damage from the tree and carried out "surgical interventions" to transform the surrounding ice factory, sub-station, cold storage and the ice-cubing area, which are all sheltered under the tree.

The original pitched lantern roof of the substation was extended over the courtyard, to form a new "cathedral" gallery area.

This roof, initially a north-light truss, was rotated by 90 degrees to let in light from the east – also ensuring light and ventilation for the neighbouring structure.

Throughout the factory Malik Architecture aimed to preserve original details.

Plaster walls were scraped off to uncover the original brickwork, while a specialist wood-working team restored the wooden trusses and boarding to reveal the vintage Burma-teak woodwork.

Several repurposed original industrial artefacts across the space were retained to evoke a sense of the old factory.

These include giant cooling coils embedded in the glass floor at the main entrance on Calicut Street, giving the space a museum-like quality.

The original gantry that was once used to move slabs of ice has been adapted so it can now be mobilised as part of art installations or used to partition the space.

Overall, the studio aimed to create a space that tied together the past and modern interventions.

"The suturing we carried out aimed to heighten the fragile, almost tenuous relationship between the found and the made, manifesting the true nature of IF.BE as an exploration of the liminal space between speculation and reality," the studio told Dezeen.

Other adaptive reuse projects recently featured on Dezeen include an apartment and gallery in a former Barcelona factory by Mesura and a Chinese brewery converted into a cultural centre by Urbanus.

This project has been shortlisted in the cultural project category of Dezeen Awards 2023.

The photography is by Bharath Ramamrutham.

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London studio Coffey Architects has completed The Tannery, a mixed-use project in Bermondsey that combines housing, artist's studios and a gallery around a central courtyard.

Occupying the former Rich Industrial Estate that was once the centre of Bermondsey's 19th-century tannery trade, the three buildings by Coffey Architects are part of a wider masterplan for the neighbourhood by architects AHMM for developer London Square.

The buildings reference the area's industrial heritage through their materiality and form and are positioned alongside an existing warehouse that has been retrofitted.

To the north, the gallery space for Tannery Arts and Drawing Room is housed in a low-lying brick building topped by a sawtooth roof with skylights for the exhibition spaces below.

Alongside the gallery, the retained warehouse named Unit 12 has been used to house large, dual-aspect apartments, above a ground floor of artist studios with wide glass doors.

On either side of the former warehouse, two courtyards have been created. One is intended for the public and is more formal and paved, while the other is for residents and is finished with wild planting.

"The [resident's] courtyard is wild and offers a very different character to the hard paved public spaces that surround The Tannery," founder Phil Coffey told Dezeen.

"Across the site and growing masterplan the external spaces have been designed to bring a variety of experience to the area, to create a vibrant ground plane whilst maintaining privacy to ground floor homes," he added.

Between the gallery and the warehouse, the site is cut through by what Coffey Architects call the "Bar of Light" – a long, narrow volume containing apartments surrounded by perforated aluminium shutters that give the block a glowing effect at night.

Townhouse-style apartments occupy the brick base of this elongated volume, while above, the dual-aspect apartments all have sheltered terraces overlooking the courtyard. They have individual control of the external shutters to mediate light and air.

At the eastern end of the Bar of Light, a large foyer and concierge space is defined by a black concrete spiral stair at its centre that leads up into the apartments.

"The scale of the 'Bar of Light' began with the idea that the scale of the objects and buildings at the Rich Estate were so immense that any new insertion should also express its bulk/mass," explained Coffey.

"The black concrete and steel stair work together to create a grand entry into the Bar of Light – they have a monumentality that suits the scale of the experience of moving from ground floor into the Bar of Light above," he continued.

At the opposite end of the site, a smaller block of apartments is finished with textured brickwork and large balconies overlooking the street.

Coffey Architects was founded by Phil Coffey in 2005. The studio also made use of perforated aluminium for the recently completed Technology Hub at City College Norwich, with the finish designed to give a feeling of "light and airiness."

Its other recent projects include a coastal home in Dorset and a Broadgate office with a dedicated cycle-in entrance.

The photography is by Phil Coffey.

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Architecture studio Witherford Watson Mann balanced "studious conservation and bold intervention" for its redevelopment of the historic Courtauld Institute of Art in London.

One of six projects shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize 2023, the three-year project to update The Courtauld Gallery completed at the end of 2021 and marks the first phase of a wider scheme transforming the Grade I-listed Somerset House complex.

Supported by £11 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the transformation programme seeked to open up both spatially and culturally the "idiosyncratic" site that has been its home since the 1990s.

Former Stirling Prize winners Witherford Watson Mann sought to clarify the building's spaces and circulation while maintaining its historic character, combining more subtle modifications in the galleries with a number of more extensive alterations.

"[In the galleries], many may struggle to identify specifically what has changed: and yet there was barely a room, door, floor or cable that was not altered," said director Stephen Witherford.

"The project preserves the institution's rich past whilst securing its future."

Improving the accessibility and arrival sequence into the gallery was a priority, and its main entrance off the Strand now features a ramp created by both re-using and matching the existing stone paving.

Previous gallery rooms were cleared to create a larger reception area, where a new stone staircase and lift provide clear circulation between floors.

Beneath the building, a series of brick vaults previously inaccessible to the public have been cut through with a series of concrete-framed openings, providing an entirely new way to traverse the site.

Currently home to the gallery's shop, these vaults will eventually form a connection through to the Courtauld Institute's student areas, which are to be upgraded during the wider project's second phase.

Above, alongside gallery spaces for the Courtauld's permanent collection, new spaces were created for temporary exhibitions, as well as a learning studio for families and young people, a lecture room and an object study room.

On the top floor is the skylit Great Room – London's oldest purpose-built exhibition space – where previous subdivisions have been stripped away to restore its original nature as a dramatic, single space.

In all of the gallery spaces, the insertion of new ducting, ventilation grilles and lighting has improved the building's environmental performance, as well as conditions for both the artworks and visitors.

"The physical alterations are now beginning to support a change of culture," said Witherford.

"Visitor diversity has increased, along with visitor numbers; school groups are making full use of the first onsite learning centre; and student initiatives and wider partnerships are reshaping the programme."

"Altering buildings doesn’t change institutions on its own, but it can support their democratisation," he added.

Witherford Watson Mann previously won the Stirling Prize in 2013 for their refurbishment of Astley Castle, which also involved the careful reconfiguration of a historic built fabric.

The photography is by Philip Vile.

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Contemporary German furniture designs are displayed alongside vintage pieces at this travelling gallery that multidisciplinary designer Vanessa Heepen has launched in Berlin.

Rather than having a permanent home, Forma will take over different locations across the German capital.

The gallery's inaugural exhibition, titled The Room I Walk the Line, was recently on show on the ground floor of a mixed-use building in Friedrichshain, nestled in between fragments of the Berlin Wall on the banks of the river Spree.

"To be honest, the area is not where I would typically choose to open a gallery," Heepen told Dezeen. "But when I first saw a picture of it on a real estate website, I was deeply touched by its huge windows, red columns and by the water, of course."

A trained interior designer, Heepen largely left the space in its found state but worked with her team to create a simple mahogany bar counter and storage unit for the gallery.

She also asked "soft architecture" studio Curetain to create a white latex screen for the corner of the gallery.

As part of the exhibition, this served as the backdrop for a tall white spectator shelf by Stuttgart-based Freia Achenbach, along with a graphic white stool by local designer Nazara Lázaro.

Other pieces in the exhibition included a pigmented concrete chair by Carsten in der Elst and hanging metallic stars by Studio Kuhlmann, both from Cologne, as well as a translucent shelf by Berlin's Lotto Studio.

Forma also sourced a number of vintage pieces from Moho – a 20th-century furniture showroom in Prenzlauer Berg – among them an embossed metal cabinet and a wriggly coat stand.

One of Heepen's main motivations for founding the gallery was to carve out a space for showcasing design-led furnishings in Berlin, which she says is something of a rarity in the German capital.

"It is a discursive topic, and people have always been unsure about the success of it," she explained. "After Forma's first edition, I am glad to say it was hugely successful".

The designer is currently on the hunt for Forma's next location and will let the new setting inform her selection of furnishings.

"I'm always open to something new that occurs within the process," she said. "I hold on to my vision, but I am also open to taking a detour."

Elsewhere in Berlin, Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron is currently constructing a major new museum for modern art.

The building's design came under fire at the end of last year, when it was discovered its complex air conditioning system would result in the venue using four times as much energy as a nearby museum from the 1800s.

The photography is by Matthias Leidinger. 

The Room I Walk the Line was on show at Mühlenstrasse 63 in Berlin from 15 June to 15 July 2023. For more exhibitions, events and talk in architecture and design, visit Dezeen Events Guide.

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Architecture studio Holland Harvey has overhauled the ground-floor cafe at the Tate Modern in London so it doubles as the gallery's first late-night bar.

Tucked away in the museum's northwest corner, the interior of the Corner cafe was originally designed in 2000 when Herzog & de Meuron created a home for the UK's national collection of modern art inside the disused power station on the Southbank.

Since then, the Tate had made no changes to the space until Holland Harvey was brought on board to refresh the interior at the start of 2022.

"It was quite a cold space," the studio's co-founder Richard Holland told Dezeen. "All very Herzog & de Meuron-y."

"They're amazing at what they do in so many ways," he continued. "But this was not their best food and beverage space."

Holland Harvey stripped back many of the cafe's hard, reflective finishes, sanding away the black gloss paint on the floors to reveal the parquet underneath and removing the mirrored glass that Herzog & de Meuron had used to enclose the building's original riveted columns.

Fluorescent lights were replaced with more muted spots by London studio There's Light, while the dropped ceiling above the bar was rounded off and covered in foam insulation to soften the interior – both visually and acoustically.

Otherwise, many of the cafe's core elements including the servicing as well as the kitchen and toilets remained largely untouched to prevent excessive waste and maintain the integrity of the building.

"You don't really want to mess around with the servicing because 12 feet above your head is a Picasso," Holland said. "So it was pretty light touch."

The biggest intervention came in the form of a newly added riverside entrance, allowing passersby to stroll straight into Corner rather than having to take the long way through the gallery.

At the other end of the open-plan room, a door leads directly into Tate's famous Turbine Hall, effectively linking it with the public spaces of the Southbank.

"The Turbine Hall is one of the most successful public spaces in London," Holland said. "It's one of the few indoor places you can go, where people happily sit down on the floor in the middle of the day."

"And obviously, the Southbank is an amazing public offering as well," he continued. "So this felt like an opportunity to connect the two, which led a lot of the thinking around the design."

With the idea of extending the public realm, many of the newly added pieces are robust and fixed in place, much like street furniture. Among them are the double-sided Vicenza Stone banquettes, which can also serve as impromptu climbing frames for young children.

Holland Harvey created a number of other seating areas throughout Corner to suit different accessibility needs, with a focus on supporting local manufacturers and small businesses while reducing waste wherever possible.

Corner's long sharing tables and benches were made by furniture design studio Goldfinger in west London using trees that were felled by local authorities to stop the spread of ash dieback.

"Every table has the coordinates of where the tree has felled on it, so there's a provenance to the furniture," Holland said.

As a social enterprise, Goldfinger also feeds any profits back into its local community through initiatives such as free monthly meals and woodworking courses for marginalised young people.

The chairs, meanwhile, were salvaged from the gallery's own storage before being refinished and reupholstered, while the smaller tables were made by Brighton company Spared using waste coffee grounds from Tate's other cafes.

These were baked at a low temperature to remove any moisture before being mixed with oyster shells and a water-based gypsum binder.

Although the resulting pieces aren't fully circular since they can't be recycled, Holland hopes they tell a story about the value that can be found in waste.

"We're by no means saying that it's an exemplar project in that sense," he explained. "We were just trying to find opportunities to tell stories through all the different elements rather than just going to the large corporate suppliers."

"And that's really our wider impact: people realising that there's a different way to procure a table. Imagine if all of Tate's furniture moving forward is made by Goldfinger," he continued.

In the evenings, the space can be transitioned into a bar and events space by switching to warmer, higher-contrast lighting, while a section of the central banquette can be turned into a raised DJ booth by pressing a button that is hidden under the cushions.

"This place can get quite wild in the evening," Holland said.

The last significant amendment to the Tate Modern building was Herzog & de Meuron's Switch House extension, which opened to the public in 2016.

The building contains a gift shop designed by Amsterdam studio UXUS, alongside various galleries and a viewing level on the top floor, which is currently closed to the public after Tate lost a high-profile privacy lawsuit brought by the inhabitants of a neighbouring residential tower.

The photography is by Jack Hobhouse unless otherwise stated.

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A vaulted ceiling punctured with skylights features in a 1940s auto dealership that architectural studio Johnston Marklee has converted into a bright home for the Roberts Projects art gallery.

Roberts Projects chose the local studio to transform the brick and cinder-block building into its new home as it moved from Culver City to the mid-Wilshire district, which has seen an influx of art galleries in recent years.

The architects conceived a total overhaul of the 10,000-square-foot (929-square-metre) former auto dealership, which was built in 1948 and features an arched, 30-foot-high (nine-metre) ceiling.

For many years, the building housed a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership known as the "Auto Dealer to the Stars", as it drew celebrity clients such as actors Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball and Bob Hope.

"We searched for a space for over four years and felt this building was ideal due to the raw talent of the structure, incredible ceiling height and great location," said Roberts Projects co-owner Julie Roberts.

The exterior of the building – which once featured large stretches of glass for the display of cars – was replaced with solid walls in grey stucco, which suits the "gallery's minimalist aesthetic", the gallery said.

Marking the entrance are a glazed garage door and an existing ficus tree.

"The elemental facade and building mass will integrate the new gallery into the cultural landscape of the arts and architecture across the city," Johnston Marklee founding partner Sharon Johnston said.

Inside, the building houses four exhibition spaces, offices, study areas and a reception with a bookshop.

Throughout the building, "cavities of light" reveal architectural elements and enhance the viewing experience, the architects said.

The main exhibition space sits under the vaulted ceiling, which was given a fresh layer of paint.

Here, skylights usher in daylight. In other areas, illumination is provided by "clearstories" made of panels uplit by LEDs.

Concrete flooring and bright white walls lend to the gallery's austere character. Furnishings include pieces by Alvar Aalto, Gijs Bakker and Jean Prouvé. Shelving is made of birch plywood.

In the office area, the flooring consists of red-tinted concrete with exposed aggregate, which is original to the space. The concrete was polished and given a terrazzo-like appearance.

The gallery's new home was inaugurated with an exhibition of colourful portraits by renowned US painter Kehinde Wiley, whom Roberts Projects has represented for over two decades.

"This new space is the next chapter in our long history of being at the forefront of the Los Angeles art scene," said gallery co-owner Bennett Roberts, who said that LA is in the midst of a "creative renaissance".

"With access to outstanding exhibitions year-round, dedicated collectors, and creative energy from those who call this city home, Los Angeles is poised to be one of the most important creative hubs for years to come," he added.

The opening of Roberts Projects's new home follows a period of continual growth for the city's arts scene.

Galleries such as Hauser & Wirth and The Future Perfect have recently opened venues in Los Angeles, and an annual edition of the Frieze Art Fair was introduced here in 2019.

Other art-related buildings in Los Angeles include a new home for auction house Phillips that was designed by local studio Formation Association, and the recent completion of a 20-year renovation and expansion of the Hammer Museum that was overseen by Michael Maltzan Architecture.

The photography is by Eric Staudenmaier.

Project credits:

Architecture: Johnston Marklee
Lighting design: Buro Happold
Furnishings consultant: Ellen Brill

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Architecture studios De Matos Ryan and AOC have included a staircase informed by optical illusions and a bright red performance stage in the refurbished Young V&A children's museum in east London.

Formerly called the Museum of Childhood, Young V&A is located in Bethnal Green, east London, within a Grade II-listed building that is over 150 years old and houses objects sourced from 2,300BC to the present day.

Architecture studios De Matos Ryan and AOC worked with the V&A's project team to renovate the museum, as well as 22,000 schoolchildren, teachers, families, local people and both Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and other community groups.

Aimed at children aged up to 14, Young V&A is spread over three galleries marked by giant words – Play, Imagine and Design – around a central "town square" space under a barrel-vaulted roof.

This central space was stripped of clunky roof additions made over the years, while a previously boarded-up, large semi-circular window was revealed to let natural light into the space.

"The central town square provides a generous civic interior in Bethnal Green," said AOC.

De Matos Ryan added a spiral staircase to this space that was topped with a striking reflective orb.

The studio worked with children to design the staircase, which was informed by optical illusion toys in the V&A collection.

The Design gallery is located on the first floor and features a range of objects by both established and emerging creatives such as kitchenware and toys, which intend to highlight the role of design in everyday life over time.

Artwork from various political movements has a place in the gallery, such as a colourful poster by artist Keith Haring dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights and a copy of climate activist Greta Thunberg's book No One is Too Small to Make a Difference, which was published when Thunberg was 16.

There is also an exhibit about Petit Pli – a wearable technology brand by Ryan Mario Rasin that manufactures children's clothes fitted with a pleat system that expands to fit kids as they grow.

The Design gallery also features sawtooth roof structures that nod to the original architecture of the South Kensington Museum – the site that has been known as London's V&A museum since 1899.

Created primarily for younger children, the Play gallery is located on the ground floor.

It was designed with an interactive sandpit and colour-coded design objects that invite kids to form connections between objects.

AOC added a 125-person-capacity all-red carpeted stage and performance area to the Imagine gallery, which is opposite the Play gallery, where children can dress up and put on their own show.

In this gallery, visitors can also find Joey the horse – a life-size puppet made in 2009 that was used in over 1600 London performances of War Horse, a world war one play by writer Michael Morpurgo that ran for two years.

"The museum is the first of its kind and by continuing to work in partnership with teachers and schools, locally and across the country, it will become a national resource for supporting the teaching of art and design," said V&A director Tristram Hunt.

The renovation also includes a new gift shop and a cafe, while lower-ground spaces accommodate services including a play studio, a reading space or quiet room and what the museum described as the borough's first Changing Places toilet – a lavatory designed for full accessibility.

Young V&A reopens to the public this weekend.

As well as South Kensington, the V&A has an additional site in Dundee, Scotland. The V&A is also planning to open a fourth museum at London's Olympic Park in 2025. The South Kensington site's previous exhibitions have included a photography show by Tim Walker and the menswear exhibition Fashioning Masculinities.

The photography is by Luke Hayes unless otherwise stated and is courtesy of the V&A.

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A public forecourt and entrance gates by artist Tracey Emin have been introduced to the National Portrait Gallery in London as part of a major renovation led by local studios Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell.

The Grade I-listed building just off Trafalgar Square has been transformed to open and connect it to its surroundings, while maximising the accessibility and potential of its existing fabric.

Jamie Fobert Architects and heritage expert Purcell's overarching ambition was to realign the 19th-century building with the visions of its original architect, Ewan Christian.

The team's reconfigurations have created an 18 per cent increase in public space through the introduction of a new entrance and the opening of previously concealed areas.

It is the largest renovation to have taken place at the National Portrait Gallery since it opened in 1896. Previous renovations were carried out in the 1930s and in the early 2000s.

"Never has there been a holistic transformation, and this project gave the opportunity to do that," Purcell chairperson Liz Smith told Dezeen on a tour of the building.

"But more than that, it gave the opportunity to look at where the building still had the capacity for change, and where interventions have been made that were less sympathetic, to be able to bring those spaces back into the quality of the rest of the building," added Smith.

According to Jamie Fobert Architects' founder, visiting the gallery was "a fragmented experience" for visitors prior to the overhaul.

"I think for me, what was really important about this project was from arriving in this new public space, into this new hall," Jamie Fobert told Dezeen.

Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell collaborated with engineers Max Fordham and Price & Myers on the project, as well as studios Nissen Richards Studio and Alex Cochrane Architects.

The design team's ideas for the project were developed using both visitor feedback to the gallery and Christian's original drawings, which enabled them to uncover hidden pockets of space.

A central idea was the introduction of a new forecourt, which helps establish a more welcoming entrance area and a better connection to the city.

The new entrance area bridges an existing lightwell to the building's basement area and features granite steps, a ramp and a bench that guide visitors inside.

These complement the granite base of the building into which three new doorways have been cut. The doorways are fitted with tall bronze gates inscribed with illustrations of 45 women drawn by Emin.

From here, visitors are guided into the new entrance hall, which was formed through the removal of existing walls and links to a new ground-floor gallery.

Highlights of the entrance hall include a walnut and veneered welcome desk designed by Jamie Fobert Architects and flooring with white mosaics that nod to historic mosaics designed by Christian to signpost the building's circulation areas.

Leading on from the entrance area is a large opening that provides access to the Ondaatje Hall. Here, stairs, escalators or elevators lead to the galleries beyond.

The Ondaatje Hall was constructed in 1999 with a design by Dixon Jones Architects in the courtyard located between the building and the adjacent National Gallery.

Across the galleries, the design team has reinstated Christian's original designs wherever possible. Bricked-up windows and skylights have been reopened, while bleached-teak flooring has been restored to its original state.

New climate-controlled galleries have also been created in the building's east wing, now named The Weston Wing.

Sitting beside new cafe facilities, these galleries replace what were previously private back-of-house rooms that have been rehoused in an adjacent building,

Here, Jamie Fobert Architects has also added a timber and steel stair that runs from the building's basement to its top floor. Its balustrade is designed as a nod to the bend of Charing Cross Road outside.

Meanwhile, an original basement level that was used as storage has been opened up to create The Mildred & Simon Palley Learning Centre for schools, families and community groups.

Despite being in the basement, its studios and breakout spaces are well-lit thanks to large windows and a glazed double-height space beside the lightwell below the forecourt bridge.

Finishing touches to the project include the uncovering and repairs to terrazzo flooring dating back to 1896.

Display cases with text blocks set in an angled panel designed for accessibility have been added, alongside a series of sculptural walnut benches with armrests – a detail that previous seating in the gallery lacked and that had been requested by visitors.

As part of the renovation, the National Portrait Gallery's collection has also been rehung to guide visitors from artwork from the Tudor period to now.

A new logo has also been created by illustrator Peter Horridge based on a sketch by the gallery's first director George Scharf's sketch from 1893.

Next door at the National Gallery, a remodel of the postmodern Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown-designed Sainsbury Wing is under development by New York studio Selldorf Architects.

The plans have proven controversial, with the conservation group Twentieth Century Society (C20) stating they will "cause substantial harm" to the Grade I-listed building.

The photography is by David Parry unless stated otherwise.

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British studios Gibson Thornley Architects and Purcell have completed the V&A Photography Centre in London, which includes a double-height library and a walk-in camera obscura.

Located in South Kensington, the centre is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum's extensive Future Plan – a project involving the upgrade of its visitor facilities and galleries while also preserving its original historic structure.

Gibson Thornley Architects and Purcell's involvement marks the final stage of the V&A Photography Centre project, bringing it to a total of seven rooms intended to "democratise" the collections for a new generation of visitors.

Its new entrance leads directly into a multimedia room for large-scale, immersive projections, which sits alongside a double-height reading room housing the library of the Royal Photographic Society.

Gibson Thornley Architects worked with Purcell to provide additional roof space while revealing and restoring parts of the original building, before introducing contemporary elements that reference and complement the museum's existing fabric.

"The V&A is one of the UK's most beautiful and innovative museum sites, and so the design process became a conversation between past and present, celebrating all of the original detail, while enhancing these historic spaces with the very best modern design," said Gibson Thornley co-founder Matt Thornley.

"We were interested in the idea of layering and depth at a variety of scales, from the experience of passing through the enfilade of rooms to the detailed consideration of separation and exposure of public and private space," Thornley continued.

In the reading room, new elements are cantilevered from the walls to avoid overloading the existing floor. An elevated walkway has been added, lined by balustrades finished with brass rods that references the V&A ironwork collection.

Linings of walnut burr in the library space echo the V&A's National Art Library. They wrap a small study area and librarian workspaces, designed to "intertwine" the centre's public and private uses.

A highlight of the galleries is a walk-in camera obscura, or pinhole camera – a box with a small hole through which light enters and creates an inverted image on the opposite side.

Developed with British artist Richard Learoyd, it allows visitors to experience and experiment with the fundamentals of photography alongside examples of historic cameras.

The gallery spaces are united by parquet flooring selected to complement the historic structure, while a series of archways connecting the gallery spaces were designed to create a series of vistas that unfold as visitors move through the space.

The first phase of the V&A Photography Centre saw the creation of a series of three galleries designed by David Kohn Architects, which were completed in 2018.

Gibson Thornley Architects also worked with the V&A in 2018 when it designed the exhibition Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up alongside set designer Tom Scutt.

The photography is by Thomas Adank unless stated otherwise.

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London studio Boano Prišmontas has created a small private art gallery shaped like a barn in rural Hertfordshire, UK.

Designed as a peaceful place to display art, the small gallery combines the traditional barn form with modern construction techniques.

"From the distance, this building is unmistakably a barn," said Boano Prišmontas co-founder Tomaso Boano. "The small windows, large canopy overhang, wide door on the front facade, and use of industrial materials all sing from the same song sheet."

"The aspect of modern design is the fabrication side of this project," he continued. "As you get closer you will see the sharp edges and geometries that come from a digital fabrication workshop rather than a traditional construction site."

While its shape is informed by rural barns, it is also designed to create an interior that is an impressive space for displaying art.

Boano Prišmontas designed the curve of the arch to create a high space that can accommodate larger pieces.

"The most impressive art galleries have cathedral-like qualities – from MOMA to Nottingham Contemporary or Tate Modern, you can always find the tallest ceiling, the largest spanning spaces, and the most impressive engineering," said Boano.

"Our project was of a different scale with a much faster project timeline, but there is some interesting engineering, as a result of which the space lends itself to being a generous host for relatively large-scale artworks."

The arched roof was digitally fabricated from hundreds of pieces of timber that were CNC cut.

As the roof timbers are visible from the inside, and to reduce confusion on site, the studio aimed to design a structure that appears simple.

"Simplicity and efficiency were achieved through the digital design and digital manufacturing of the components that create this structure," explained Boano.

"Although this digitally fabricated timber structure consists of hundreds of parts, the logic and strategy for the assembly are very simple, with many pieces having identical geometries it would have been impossible for the assembly team to get confused about the location of each element."

The gallery's interior is largely clad in timber, with lighting set within coves to illuminate the trusses. A black pendant lamp is placed to create a "reading corner" and a series of small square windows give glimpses of the surrounding countryside.

Boano hopes that people visiting the gallery space will appreciate the craft of creating the building and its calm atmosphere.

"We hope that people who are interested in manufacturing can see a way of creating large spaces using small pieces," he said.

"We hope that those interested in architecture will be inspired by our fusion of traditional form and modern material choices and construction methods. We hope that people who are looking to escape from busy city life will enjoy the tranquillity of this space."

Founded by Boano and Jonas Prišmontas in 2017, London-based Boano Prišmontas also recently created a prefabricated timber home office that can be built within a day.

The photography is courtesy of Boano Prišmontas.

Project credits:

Architect: Boano Prišmontas
Manufacturing: My Room in the Garden
Construction: My Room in the Garden
Structural engineer: Simple Works

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Iranian-French architect India Mahdavi has designed an exhibition to present works by French painter Pierre Bonnard at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.

Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi presents more than 100 works by the famed 20th-century artist who is celebrated for applying an iridescent palette.

The scenography design by Mahdavi, also known for her use of colour, is intended to create "an impression of his world, through my own eyes" according to the architect.

Instead of typical white gallery walls, the spaces are awash with bold hues and patterns that she has chosen to complement the artworks.

Many of the shades of yellow, pink, orange and green that adorn the walls and floors are lifted directly from the canvases, while floral-inspired repeated patterns offer a contrasting backdrop.

Large carpets continue these motifs at different scales across the floors.

Mahdavi has also placed some of her own furniture designs in the gallery spaces, offering visitors the opportunity to pause and appreciate the paintings and their surroundings.

"Mahdavi envelopes Pierre Bonnard's works in an environment that complements Bonnard's distinct use of colour and texture, and evokes the wistful domestic intimacy for which his paintings are renowned," said the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).

Bonnard was born in 1867, and his artistic career took off in the 1890s in Paris, where he began capturing street life.

The artist's focus then moved to domesticity, followed by landscapes thanks to the influence of his friend and neighbour in Normandy, Claude Monet.

Bonnard later relocated to the south of France and created a large body of work there before his death in 1947.

"The paintings of Pierre Bonnard depict intimate domestic interiors, natural landscapes and urban scenes with subtlety, wit and a sensuous approach to colour and light," said the gallery.

The exhibition features loans from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, which holds the world's largest collection of Bonnard’s work, along with significant loans from other museums and private collections from around the world.

It is organised around 11 themes, which include landscapes, interiors, still life, early nudes, and large decorations.

There are also sections dedicated to his depictions of music and theatre, views from his 1920s studio in Le Cannet, and scenes of nature and daily life around the town.

"For Bonnard, landscape painting was a hybrid genre and often included glimpses of interiors and still lifes," said the gallery.

The gallery has hosted many immersive exhibitions and installations in recent years, including a scaled-down version of Greece's famous Parthenon temple, a mist-filled chasm in its sculpture garden, and Nendo's take on the drawings of MC Escher.

Mahdavi's best-known projects include the Gallery dining room at London restaurant Sketch, which she originally created in pale pink, then transformed with golden tones in 2022.

She recently updated six rooms within Rome's 16th-century Villa Medici to feature an array of contemporary and colourful furniture.

Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi forms part of NGV's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, and runs from 9 June to 8 October 2023. For more exhibitions, events and talks in architecture and design visit Dezeen's Events Guide. 

The photography is by Lillie Thompson.

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A new lobby and sculpture terrace are among the final additions to a Los Angeles art museum that was strategically revamped over a 23-year period by local studio Michael Maltzan Architecture.

Located in the city's Westwood neighbourhood, the Hammer Museum is housed in a rectilinear, stone-clad building designed by American architect Edward Larrabee Barnes and completed in 1990. In recent years, the museum's programs have expanded to occupy space in an adjoining 1960s office tower.

The museum – which is part of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) – was originally founded by the late industrialist Armand Hammer to showcase his personal collection of European and American art.

In 1999, a new director, Ann Philbin, who remains at the helm, set out to make the museum more accessible to a wider audience in terms of its artwork, programming and architectural design.

Local studio Michael Maltzan Architecture was tapped in 2000 to design a master plan for Barnes' building, consisting of galleries around a central courtyard. The museum had an insular feel, and the architects were tasked with making the building more welcoming.

With work being carried out over 20-plus years, Michael Maltzan said the project required "extraordinary persistence and inventiveness".

"This was truly a case of building the airplane while you were flying it," studio founder Michael Maltzan said. "I can't think of any other client that would have had the daring and imagination to carry it off."

Among the recent and final updates is a redesigned lobby, located on the ground floor of the adjoining tower, which was built in 1962 for Hammer's company, Occidental Petroleum. In 2015, the museum took over two floors of the tower.

The lobby has ramps, stairs and an elevator set around an elliptical information desk. Site-specific installations are planned for the space, and a labyrinth of red thread by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is currently on view.

The lobby's entrance is oriented toward the corner of Wilshire and Westwood boulevards, just across from a future stop for the LA Metro Purple line.

"A cylindrical, one-storey-high column set into a concave fold in the pavement marks the busy corner of Wilshire and Westwood," the team said.

"The column supports the edge of a porch that has been carved out of the tower to provide a dramatic and welcoming point of entry."

Beyond the new entrance and lobby, the team has added a new outdoor sculpture terrace, where one finds a towering bronze sculpture by American artist Sanford Biggers.

The team has also added a 5,600-square-foot (520-square-metre) gallery with a glazed wall facing Wilshire Boulevard, providing a connection to the streetscape.

The new additions are the latest in a long list of enhancements. The team has expanded offices and back-of-house areas; renovated galleries, a shop and a restaurant; and created a new gallery and study centre dedicated to works on paper.

Other changes include the creation of the Billy Wilder Theater, which was added in 2006 and features hot pink seats; and the construction of a pedestrian bridge that traverses the courtyard and connects third-floor galleries.

The entire project has cost $90 million (£72 million). The building has been officially dubbed the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Cultural Center — named in honour of the Resnick family, who donated $30 million to the Hammer Museum, its largest-ever single gift.

"From the start, our goal was to make the Hammer into a welcoming, public-facing, university-affiliated institution engaged with today's art and artists and the urgent issues of our time," said Philbin.

"I am beyond thrilled to welcome everyone to a reimagined Hammer Museum that is more than 20 years in the making."

Other projects by Michael Maltzan Architecture include LA's Ribbon of Light Bridge, which features multiple concrete arches that are lit from below, and a bright-white residential complex that contains over 60 studio apartments for formerly homeless tenants.

The photography is by Iwan Baan unless otherwise stated.

Project credits: 

Architect: Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc
Design team: Michael Maltzan (design principal), Tim Williams (managing principal), Gee-ghid Tse (senior project designer), Nick McAdoo (project architect), Sahaja Aram, Dana Bauer, Emily Bidegain, Wil Carson, Joe DiMatteo, Wendi Gilbert, Tom Goffigon, Nora Gordon, Vano Haritunians, Ken Hasegawa, Sara Jacinto, Sevak Karabachian, Yong Kim, Yvonne Lau, Nick Martinez, John Murphey, Stacy Nakano, Edward Ogosta, Kyle Peterson,  Nadine Quirmbach, Kurt Sattler, Krista Scheib, Jeff Soler, Owen Tang, Hiroshi Tokumaru,  Nicole Tomasi, Jessica Tracey, Edward Tung, Yan Wang, Sharon Xu, Paul Stoelting
Graphics: Bruce Mau Design, Inc
Structural engineer: John A Martin & Associates
Structural design engineer: Guy Nordenson and Associates, LLP (John V Tunney Bridge)
MEP/FP engineer: ARUP, Innovative Engineering Group (BWT)
Lighting design: LAM Partners Inc, ARUP
General contractor: Matt Construction Corporation
Client: UCLA Hammer Museum
Museum leadership: Ann Philbin (director), Marcy Carsey (chair, board of directors)

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A subterranean gallery carved into a sand dune and a treehouse-style art museum feature in our latest lookbook, which collects striking gallery interiors from around the world.

Art galleries are specifically designed as spaces for showcasing artworks such as sculptures and paintings. As a result, they are often characterised by neutral and minimalist interiors so as not to divert attention from the objects on display.

However, some galleries are defined by statement designs that not only complement the artworks they house, but transform their interiors into masterpieces themselves.

From a converted Iranian brewery to a Milanese basement, read on for 10 galleries with memorable interior designs.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring inviting entrance halls, terracotta kitchens and Crittal-style windows.

IK Lab, Mexico, by Jorge Eduardo Neira Sterkel

Curving cement walls and undulating vine floors provide an alternative backdrop for artwork within the gallery at the Azulik resort in Tulum.

The gallery, which visitors must enter without shoes via a winding walkway, is elevated above the ground and reaches the height of the surrounding tree canopy. Circular windows of various sizes flood the space with natural light.

The gallery was opened by the resort's founder and designer, Jorge Eduardo Neira Sterkel, after the great-grandson of the famed American art collector Peggy Guggenheim and a Tulum local suggested the idea.

Find out more about IK Lab ›

TaoCang Art Center, China, by Roarc Renew

TaoCang Art Center is comprised of two disused granaries located in the village of Wangjiangjing in China's Zhejiang province. Shanghai studio Roarc Renew connected the volumes with a pair of sweeping brick corridors that are lined with arches.

Functioning as distinct gallery spaces, the granaries are characterised by striking arrangements of lotus flowers on their floors – an ode to the village's lotus-flower industry and a pond adjacent to the site.

Find out more about TaoCang Art Centre ›

Maison Lune, USA, by Sandrine Abessera, Lubov Azria and Gabriella Kuti

Designers Sandrine Abessera and Lubov Azria, founders of the contemporary art gallery Maison Lune, worked with interior designer Gabriella Kuti to set it within a former private house in California.

Spread across rooms in neutral hues, the gallery is laid out like a collector's home featuring a varied cluster of artworks and design pieces. Multiple terraces and internal stepped areas provide plinth-like display units for the objects throughout the property.

"We want to build an alternative to traditional galleries, which are often perceived as too elitist and intimidating," explained Abessera and Azria.

Find out more about Maison Lune ›

Amos Rex, Finland, by JKMM Architects

Finnish studio JKMM Architects designed the Amos Rex art museum in Helsinki with a series of domed subterranean galleries, which bubble up through the ground to create a sloping outdoor playground.

While a portion of the museum is housed in the renovated Lasipalatsi, a functionalist 1930s building at street level, Amos Rex was also extended underground to include the domed galleries. These subterranean spaces feature minimalist monochrome interiors illuminated by large round skylights.

Find out more about Amos Rex ›

Studio CDMX, Mexico, by Alberto Kalach

A multi-purpose artist residency and gallery come together at Studio CDMX, a space in Mexico City designed for Casa Wabi founder Bosco Sodi in which to work and exhibit his pieces.

Constructed on the site of a former warehouse, the building reflects its location's industrial roots with concrete, metal and brick elements arranged in chunky formations. Sodi's sculptural works, finished in materials including stone and ceramic, also influenced the interiors.

Find out more about Studio CDMX ›

Ataraxia, Thailand, by Enter Projects Asia

A winding rattan installation traces an overhead route through this private gallery in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Architecture studio Enter Projects Asia used an algorithm to design the structure, which snakes in and out of the gallery's various indoor and outdoor spaces.

"We sought to create an immersive experience, giving the space a warmth and depth uncharacteristic of conventional art galleries," said studio director Patrick Keane.

The gallery is open to the public by private appointment.

Find out more about this private gallery ›

Fondazione Luigi Rovati Museum, Italy, by Mario Cucinella Architects

Layered stone walls line the new basement of the Fondazione Luigi Rovati Museum, an art gallery housed within a 19th-century palazzo in Milan that was both preserved and expanded by Italian studio Mario Cucinella Architects.

The basement walls were created from overlapping layers of limestone ashlar, which curve upwards to form domed ceilings. Free-standing and wall-mounted cases designed by the architecture studio display two hundred Etruscan artifacts, including ancient jewellery and cinerary urns.

Find out more about Fondazione Luigi Rovati Museum ›

Argo Factory Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre, Iran, by Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture North

US studio Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture North renovated a 1920s brewery in central Tehran to create the Argo Factory Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre, preserving many of the factory's original industrial features.

Designed without middle supports, a curvilinear concrete staircase was inserted into the building to connect the museum's lobby and its six galleries above. The staircase is one of a number of new elements with a rounded shape, created to contrast the uniform brick architecture.

Find out more about Argo Factory Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre ›

UCCA Dune Art Museum, China, by Open Architecture

Carved into a dune on a beach in Qinhuangdao, this coastal art museum is comprised of a network of subterranean concrete galleries.

Beijing-based firm Open Architecture took cues from caves for the interlinked spaces, which are illuminated by organically shaped openings and feature an irregular texture.

"The walls of ancient caves were where art was first practiced," Open Architecture co-founder Li Hu told Dezeen.

Find out more about UCCA Dune Art Museum ›

Mini Mart City Park, USA, by GO'C

Mini Mart City Park is a community arts centre with a gallery built on the site of a former 1930s petrol station in Seattle.

Local studio GO'C referenced the location's history when creating the design for the centre, opting for classic signage, an overhanging roof and divided metal windows.

Inside, the gallery space is characterised by exposed wooden rafters and smooth grey-hued floors, providing a neutral backdrop for the exhibition of artwork.

Find out more about Mini Mart City Park ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring inviting entrance halls, terracotta kitchens and Crittal-style windows.

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Los Angeles architecture studio Formation Association has turned an assemblage of buildings in West Hollywood into a new home for London-based auction house Phillips.

The West Coast headquarters for Phillips opened in October 2022 and includes three showrooms, a patio and offices created from a set of disparate structures on Santa Monica Boulevard.

Formation Association preserved many of the existing architectural elements of the eclectic collection of buildings, ensuring that each section retained its identity.

"We started with idiosyncratic conditions and buildings layered with history," said studio co-founder John K Chan, who led the project. "We wanted to keep that sensibility. The building is a varied palimpsest, with traces of the past appearing within the new facade."

The entrance to the 3,182-square-foot (296-square-metre) showroom is on an acute street corner, beneath a curved canopy clad in grey stucco.

"This rounded marquee, punctuated by an overhead oculus, evokes the automobile-oriented Streamline Moderne era," said Formation Association.

The textured stucco is contrasted by smooth trowelled plaster that covers adjacent surfaces, intended to add a Southern California identity to the building.

On the east elevation, the team retained the sheet metal siding and an old doorway of a historic facade.

This side of the building also includes a tall, narrow window through which Phillips can move large artworks in and out.

Along the south facade, the architects added recessed windows cut at angles into the thickened perimeter wall, which allow more light into the galleries.

Inside, the three gallery spaces are laid out in sequence. Upon entry is Showroom A, which features a soffit ceiling and wide baseboards to evoke a residential space.

A second oculus punctures the ceiling, exposing wooden beams painted silver as a nod to the work of Californian architect Richard Neutra.

The smallest gallery, Showroom B, is accessed through an open portal, and Showroom C is reached through a similar threshold.

With a ceiling over 15 feet (4.5 metres) tall, this gallery is used for displaying larger artworks and sculptures.

All three spaces feature oak floors that match those found in all of Phillips' international locations.

"With the interplay of light and oak wood floors across the three subsequent showrooms, we were thinking about the cadence of an irregular enfilade," said Chan. "Each of the three galleries has a distinct proportion that we wanted to leverage."

From Showroom C, a couple of steps and a ramp lead up to a small office used for client meetings.

At the back of the building is the covered patio, enclosed by walls made from plywood that was stained grey to match the exterior stucco.

The opening of Phillips Los Angeles follows over a decade of continual growth for the city's arts scene, which has seen galleries like Hauser & Wirth and The Future Perfect set up shop, and an annual edition of the Frieze Art Fair introduced.

Formation Association is led by Chan and partner Grace U Oh. As well as completing a variety of institutional, residential and commercial projects, the studio has contributed several times to a program organised by the Architects for Animals charity that asks LA-based architects to design shelters for the city's homeless cats.

The photography is by Eric Staudenmaier.

Project credits:

Design team: John K Chan, Nick Miuccio, Carlo 'CJ' Guzman, Jay Lee, Colin Jacobs
Structural engineer: Nous Engineering
MEP engineer: Engineous Group
Lighting designer: Fisher Marantz Stone
Landscape designer: Ochre

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The latest edition of our Dezeen Debate newsletter features a studio in Mexico City created for Casa Wabi founder Bosco Sodi by Alberto Kalach. Subscribe to Dezeen Debate now.

Located on the site of a former industrial warehouse, the studio space has a three-storey office structure and a four-storey tower with gallery spaces.

Commenters were in love with the project. One described it as "impressive and monumental", whilst another praised Casa Wabi's "commendable record of fine buildings".

Other stories in this week's newsletter that fired up the comments section included designs for the Yichang Grand Theatre in China by Open Architecture, Kith and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation's release of a New Balance sneaker and the naming of the finalists of the contest to design the future National Museum of the US Navy.

Dezeen Debate

Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features a selection of the best reader comments and most talked-about stories. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Debate or subscribe here.

You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Agenda is sent every Tuesday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week, Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours and Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.

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Mexican architect Alberto Kalach has created a studio for Casa Wabi founder Bosco Sodi in Mexico City that features expansive brickwork and industrial elements.

Kalach designed the space for Bosco Sodi, a Mexican artist who founded Fundación Casa Wabi in Oaxaca, a multi-purpose artist residency and gallery.

The Mexico City space, called Studio CDMX, was designed to serve as an administrative extension of the headquarters in Oaxaca and as a studio where Sodi could display his sculptural works.

"A new building in a sea of postindustrial reuse, Bosco Sodi's studio at Sabino 336 is a secular sacred space, erected to enshrine the form of material thought with which he has become so closely associated," said the team.

The building was constructed on the site of a former industrial warehouse, and many of the surrounding buildings in the Atlampa neighbourhood remain industrial.

It contains a three-storey office structure on the street-facing facade and a four-storey tower for the gallery spaces.

The two structures are separated by an interior courtyard and characterised by broad swathes of concrete and brickwork.

Kalach was informed in his design by the natural materials of Mexico and his ongoing project to revive the Mexican capital's history as "The Lake City".

He also took influence from Sodi's sculptural works, which include large-scale ceramic, stone and wood pieces, in the design of the space.

The street-facing facade has a precast-concrete base topped with a wall of partially ventilated brickwork.

A monumental door is set into the facade and the brick and concrete walls step into the recess on one side, adding depth to the opening. The entrance leads to the interior courtyard.

The brick-and-concrete walls have been continued throughout the structure. Each of the floors of the three-storey structure has terraces, and it is topped by a rooftop, where greenery and additional artworks have been placed.

The terraces at the front of the structure are connected to the tower building via metal staircases and a large steel-and-glass external elevator runs up the wall of the studio via the courtyard.

The whole of the courtyard is surrounded by a brickwork wall that expands up and creates shade and shelter for the outdoor areas.

Inside the four-storey studio building, the upper floors reference the industrial past of the site with exposed I-beams that support a corrugated metal roof.

Throughout the house, Kalach used flooring in polished concrete or dark wood.

The architect added skylights to the roof and some of the floors, bringing light into the lower levels of the mostly windowless structure.

At the back of the property is an open-air recessed area with a sculptural concrete staircase.

The studio opened to the public in February concurrent with Sodi's exhibition at the nearby Galería Hilario Galguera.

Bosco Sodi is known for his foundation's work and his sculptures, some of which he has displayed at Casa Wabi and abroad.

Recently, the artist unveiled a new home and residency in Tokyo designed by Studio Wasabi Architecture and Satoshi Kawakami Architects.

Kalach runs Taller de Arquitectura X, whose work has appeared at Casa Wabi and elsewhere throughout Mexico, including two sculptural hotels in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca: Hotel Terrestre, which sits next to Casa Wabi and Hotel Sforza, which is characterized by large brickwork arches.

The photography is by Sergio Lopez.

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Italian studio Mario Cucinella Architects has transformed a 19th-century building in Milan into an art gallery, adding a contemporary underground exhibition space to the historic structure.

Named the Fondazione Luigi Rovati Museum, the gallery is housed within Milan's 19th-century Palazzo Bocconi-Rizzoli-Carraro and is designed to showcase both modern and Etruscan art.

To pay homage to the past and present, Mario Cucinella Architects balanced the original features of the historic building with contemporary additions, including a basement with layered stone walls.

"The architecture represents a voyage across time, from ancient history to the more recent past, present, and future," said studio founder Mario Cucinella.

"The term future is used here not only as it relates to the design concept, but above all the levels of innovation and technical knowledge required by the complexity of the architectural and display projects."

Mario Cucinella Architects aimed to retain as much of the existing Palazzo Bocconi-Rizzoli-Carraro as possible, preserving the street-facing facade, central hall and courtyard, along with the larger rooms on the first floor that now function as galleries.

The existing levels now host Fondazione Luigi Rovati Museum's event spaces, archives, dining areas and a bookshop, as well as two floors of exhibition space.

To contrast the building's existing interior, the studio added a basement level that houses a network of cave-like galleries arranged across four domed chambers informed by Etruscan tombs.

"In preparation for the expansion down to two underground levels, the structure was first stabilised by inserting piles around the entire perimeter of the existing building and that of the future expansion," explained Cucinella.

"Before starting the construction phases, it was necessary to reduce the weight of the building by removing partition walls, furnishings, woodwork, and plaster, and to completely demolish the roof and third floor."

Formed from overlapping layers of limestone ashlar, the walls of the basement level curve up to domed ceilings that feature the same pattern of layered stone.

Two hundred Etruscan artefacts, including vases, jewellery and cinerary urns, are displayed throughout the space in free-standing and wall-mounted cases designed by Mario Cucinella Architects.

"For the exhibition design, the elements were studied and designed in detail in order to generate an immersive experience of the objects on display through a mix of history, archaeology, design, architecture and digital technologies," said Cucinella.

Works by contemporary artists including Alberto Giacometti, Pablo Picasso, Arturo Martini, Lucio Fontana and William Kentridge are also shown among the artefacts.

A stone staircase leads from the basement to the street-level entrance hall, which features a ticket office, cafe and bookshop.

Extending from the entrance hall is a courtyard designed by local landscape architect Marilena Baggio that offers views of the domed ceilings in the basement.

Refreshed in the 1960s with decorations and fabric upholstery by architect Filippo Perego, the first floor offers further exhibition space that features a combination of objects from the museum's collection as well as modern art.

Additional space on the second floor is dedicated to temporary events and exhibitions, while a restaurant takes up the third floor. An additional level beneath the basement holds Fondazione Luigi Rovati Museum's study collection.

Founded by Cucinella in 1992, Mario Cucinella Architects is an architecture studio based in Bologna.

Other recent projects completed by the studio include a monolithic concrete church with a cross-shaped entrance and a hospital with ceramic fins designed to break down smog particles.

The photography is by Duccio Malagamba.

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A concrete gateway marks the entrance to the Threshold and Treasure art gallery, which architecture studio AMAA has housed in a former print house in Arzignano, Italy.

Created for the cultural association Atipografia, the gallery occupies the tactile, unfinished interiors of a 19th-century masonry and timber warehouse, which has been framed and extended with concrete, glass and steel additions.

AMAA's design for Threshold and Treasure takes the form of a sequence of thresholds, beginning with a large, concave concrete gateway that doubles as a seating area.

This leads through to a series of small gardens that buffer the tranquil gallery spaces from the street.

"The entire project's significance emerges precisely in the area of the threshold, making the entrance a dual function of an urban system and a work of art," described the studio.

"It is intended to be crossed in order to enter the first 'secret' garden and a completely different realm by leaving behind the chaos caused by the immediate urban environment: an essential, oneiric peace that has been sought for just one purpose, to house art," it continued.

Moving through the garden, visitors encounter a 20th-century concrete addition to the print house, which now serves as a guesthouse for artists in residence. Its interiors are finished in matte-black paint and wooden panelling.

Past this building are the exhibition spaces inside the original warehouse structure, which open up onto a garden towards the back of the site that is enclosed by a U-shaped extension in glass and steel.

"The place unveils itself gradually, following a closed sequence of crossings, one threshold at a time," said the studio. "A glass and steel cage expands the area and reveals the internal court, almost as if it were a treasure."

Both the main gate and the warehouse building have been finished with sliding metal doors, with the entrance to the gallery sheltered beneath a concrete metal canopy.

An external concrete staircase leads to the site's upper level. Here, AMAA has positioned a raised garden beside an artist's studio.

Internally, all of the existing surfaces have been left in their rough, textured state, creating a contrast with the modern additions and celebrating the various alterations that have taken place over time.

Threshold and Treasure is not the first adaptive reuse project by AMAA. In 2020, it created its own studio by inserting a glass box into another factory building in Arzignano.

The photography is by Simone Bossi.

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Architecture studio Worrell Yeung has renovated a historic cast-iron building in Soho for an arts organisation called Canal Projects, which hosts exhibitions "in an unmistakably New York City space".

Sat between Soho and Tribeca, the five-storey landmark was built in 1900 as a manufacturing centre, featuring a decorative white facade, double-hung windows and an external fire escape all typical of the neighbourhood.

Its street and basement levels were renovated by Worrell Yeung to create a home for Canal Projects, a non-profit arts organisation that hosts exhibitions, talks, performances, readings and screenings for the community.

The studio was careful to retain as much of the building's character as possible, highlighting the existing features like original masonry and steam radiators, and restoring them where necessary.

Visitors arrive via a new entry threshold on Canal Street, where patinated bronze panels line the tall walls in a space intended to offer a moment of pause.

Up a short flight of steps is the main gallery space – a large, open and flexible room that can be programmed in accordance with the organisation's needs.

"We designed the foundation to be a series of spaces that would compress and expand, collapse and unfold and move between dark and light," said Worrell Yeung co-founder Jejon Yeung.

Surrounded by 14 large windows on two sides and boasting ceilings over 13 feet (four metres) tall, this room is light-filled and spacious.

New white oak floors complement the industrial details, including five cast iron columns and five wide flange steel columns that were exposed and restored.

"Similarly to providing artists with a distinctive platform, we wanted viewers to experience art in an unmistakably New York City space," said Max Worrell, Worrell Yeung's other co-founder.

"Passers-by will glimpse exhibitions from the street through the window walls along Canal and Wooster Streets, and visitors on the interior can see artwork with the city context visible in the background," Worrell said.

Also on the ground-floor level are private offices for the curators and a bright orange public restroom.

Next to a freestanding reception desk by artist Zachary Tuabe, a staircase leads down to the basement level, which has a much smaller occupiable footprint.

Darker and more enclosed, the cellar space features original brickwork, masonry and timber ceiling joists, and provides a very different exhibition space that is suitable for film screenings.

Light from the steel sidewalk grates illuminates one end of the space, where a library area is created by floor-to-ceiling shelving that pivots as required.

A pantry area is hidden in an alcove behind a set of stable doors and is coloured entirely bright orange to match the upstairs restroom.

"We wanted artists to confront a venue that provides sufficient neutrality for their work, but that is also distinctly undivorceable from the Soho Cast Iron District," said Yeung.

"This is a building typology unique to New York City, and a richly layered context within which to exhibit."

Canal Projects opened to the public in September 2022, with an exhibition titled Pray organised by artistic director and senior curator Summer Guthery.

The show featured works by Bangkok and New York-based artist Korakrit Arunanondchai, and American artist and filmmaker Alex Gvojic.

Worrell Yeung was founded in 2015, and has worked on a variety of projects in and around New York.

The studio recently completed a timber-clad lake house with cantilevered roof planes in Connecticut, while past endeavours have included a Hamptons renovation, a Chelsea loft apartment, and the penthouse in the Dumbo Clocktower Building.

The photography is by Naho Kubota.

Project credits:

Architecture and interior design: Worrell Yeung
Worrell Yeung project team: Max Worrell, founder and principal; Jejon Yeung, founder and principal; Beatriz de Uña Bóveda, project manager; Yunchao Le, project designer
Structural engineer: Silman (Geoff Smith, Nick Lancellotti)
Lighting designer: Lighting Workshop (Doug Russell, Steven Espinoza)
MEP engineer: Jack Green Associates (Larry Green)
Expediter/code consultant: Anzalone Architecture (James Anzalone)
Contractor: Hugo Construction (Hugo Cheng, Kong Leong)

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London studio SIRS Architects has converted a 19th-century brewery into a public gallery for artist duo Gilbert & George in London.

Located on a narrow street in Spitalfields, the Gilbert & George Centre is designed to pay homage to the area's architectural heritage while celebrating the work of artists Gilbert Proesch and George Passmore, who collaborated with SIRS Architects on the project.

"Our objective was to invigorate the area's historic fabric, paying homage to both Gilbert & George's pioneering spirit and profound reverence for London's rich and diverse architectural heritage," studio co-founder Manuel Irsara told Dezeen.

"The belief that underpins the art of Gilbert & George is 'Art for All', and the Gilbert & George Centre is an extension of this ethos."

Developed from a neglected former brewery built in the early 19th century, the gallery comprises three exhibition spaces of differing sizes arranged across three uniquely designed levels.

Two new volumes are made partially from reclaimed bricks. On one facade, the studio arranged darker bricks in a diamond-shaped pattern that is intended to resemble the letters XOXO.

"The brickwork pattern on the facade features XOXO as a tribute to Gilbert & George's iconic salutation 'love, always and all ways'," said Irsara.

A green iron gate designed by Gilbert & George invites visitors into a cobbled courtyard. A film room has been added to one side of the courtyard, where a video introducing visitors to the artwork is shown.

"The traditionally crafted wrought iron gate is discretely divided into two leaves and has been painted with a hue known as 'invisible green'," said Irsara.

Extending from the courtyard is a reception and library area designed to reflect the artist duo's nearby Georgian home and studio on Fournier Street.

Enclosed by timber-panelled walls, the reception features handcrafted furniture and cast-iron elements along with many of the building's original features, which were preserved throughout the gallery to nod to its industrial past.

"By combining historic, restored and contemporary elements, the project honours the building's industrial past with a new lease of life and aligns with the artists' vision of art and architecture," said Irsara.

A ground-floor exhibition room is located next to the reception, with additional gallery spaces and a meeting room located on the other levels, including a basement that has been added to the original building.

The galleries are dimly lit by a bespoke lighting system that is designed specifically for the duo's larger artworks but can be adapted to suit different exhibitions in the future.

"The cutting edge lighting system was tailor-made for Gilbert & George's large scale pictures, but can equally be reconfigured, giving the artists flexibility to create everchanging exhibitions in different lighting atmospheres," said the studio.

Based in London and Vienna, SIRS Architects was founded in 2010 by Irsara and Sebastian Soukup.

The gallery will open to the public on 1 April with its inaugural exhibition entitled The Paradisical Pictures.Other art galleries recently featured on Dezeen include a community centre designed to reflect a 1930s gas station and a bubblegum-pink interior in Paris by local studio Golem.

The photography is by Prudence Cuming.

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Architecture firm MEE Studio has designed the interiors and bespoke wooden furniture for a cafe and boutique in the Nikolaj Kunsthal art gallery within an old church.

The municipality-run gallery, which is set in a deconsecrated church in central Copenhagen, asked MEE Studio to design a "lively and functional" space.

Before designing the interior spaces, which feature warm and tactile materials such as copper and wood, the rooms in Nikolaj Kunsthal first had to be restored.

"The spaces had been used for various purposes since the 1980s including art installations and other changing uses," MEE Studio founder Morten Emil Engel told Dezeen.

"This has left the spaces with remnants of ad-hoc electrical wiring, bricked-up arches, blocked-off windows and arbitrary lighting. Additionally, there was no water supply or plumbing in the spaces that now have the cafe."

The studio reestablished the grand door and window openings in the space and replaced the old acrylic paint with breathable lime-based paint, while also adding acoustic plaster to improve the acoustics of the spaces.

At the centre of the cafe, Engel created a long bar that also functions as a ticket counter and is made from solid oak wood.

Wood was also used for all the other furniture, including benches, tables and sculptural shelves, which Engel designed specifically for the project using European oak from sustainable forestry.

"I wanted the benches to reference church benches – a bit chunky and heavy," he said. "The church architecture is very robust with the church tower having two-metre thick walls. So the furniture had to have some substance to them."

Engel also aimed to give the pieces a contemporary feel by fusing their "heavy look" with more contemporary elements.

"All the furniture has visible joinery and tectonics in fumed oak, which allows the user to see how they are made and assembled," he said.

"I added some decorative inlays in the bar counter and boutique shelves. Inlays were traditionally used as a way of repairing wood and I wanted to symbolise that repair can be beautiful and sustainable," he added.

"In this way, it is sending the message that the furniture should have a long life and be repaired if it ages."

Behind the central bar, a copper backsplash adds an eyecatching material detail together with the matching sink and worktops, which were designed in reference to the roof of the old church.

"As many traditional buildings in Copenhagen, the roof of St Nikolaj Church is made with traditional copper roofing, which has aged to a rich green patina over time," Engel said.

"I wanted to reference the existing material palate of the church but use it in a new way. So the kitchen features worktops, sinks and backsplash in raw untreated copper, which will evolve beautifully with time."

The white walls of the cafe and store were contrasted with not just the copper and wood but also a burgundy red fabric designed by fashion designer Raf Simons for Kvadrat, which was used for the cushions and backs of the sofas and chairs.

The colour was a nod to some of the space's original colour but could also help disguise red wine spills in the cafe.

"Oakwood was already used throughout the church so it seemed natural to use oak as a material," Engel explained.

"There was also the burgundy red paint which had been used originally for some woodwork, for instance, the stairs in the tower and the ceiling in what is now the cafe," he added.

"So it seems natural to work with an interpretation of the burgundy red for the color of the cushions. I matched the burgundy red to a fantastic Kvadrat textile designed by Raf Simons and it worked in providing vibrancy, but also as a practical colour in a cafe where red wine is served."

As well as the bespoke furniture pieces, the space was also decorated with carefully chosen artworks that have ties to the city of Copenhagen.

"Mercury (socks) is a photograph by the famous Danish/Norwegian artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset from a series of classical sculptures by the world-famous Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen," Engel explained.

"The Thorvaldsen Museum is located only a few minutes away from Nikolaj Kunsthal, so the work relates both to art from the 19th century and contemporary art from the 21st century which is what you find in Nikolaj Kunsthal."

Other recent interior projects in Copenhagen include Space10's headquarters, which has a kiosk-like design library, and the cafe and shop design for Designmuseum Denmark by OEO Studio.

The photography is by Paolo Galgani.

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Local studio GO'C drew on the aesthetics of a 1930s gas station to create Mini Mart City Park, a community arts centre in Seattle that aims to show the potential of remediated brownsites.

Developed in collaboration with the artist collective SuttonBeresCuller, Mini Mart City Park is a "community-focused pocket park and cultural center" meant to be a gathering place for the community in and around the Georgetown neighbourhood in Seattle.

Initially attempting to renovate an existing structure, GO'C realised it did not provide enough space. Instead, the studio decided to create a 1,500-square-foot (139-square-metre) structure on the site that consists of a gallery and gathering space and a utilities area, separated by a courtyard.

GO'C wanted to create a functional space that used as much of the 1930s-era gas station aesthetic as possible.

Using references from the era, the structure features classic signage, an overhanging roof and divided metal windows.

Also important was the remediation of the contaminated site, often referred to as a brownfield site. Remediation systems were added to the foundation to "clean the residual contaminants".

"With over 700 derelict gas stations in the Puget Sound region and over 200,000 nationwide, the project explores the potential of art and architecture as a way to heal an urban problem while simultaneously creating a shared, multi-use park and community space," said GO'C.

Inside the structure, the restored wooden rafters were left exposed and pivoting windows were included to help expand the space.

Monitors for the remediation system are on display in the interior space to inform visitors of "ways to improve and rebuild on similar brownfield sites".

To expand the space for outdoor activities, a landscaped park was created to the side of the structure.

"By dividing the program functions into two primary spaces, a gallery/community center at the front of the building, and a storage/utility box at the back of the building, an open-air courtyard was created in the middle," said GO'C.

"The courtyard enables the park and building to work together, merging built space and the park areas in between."

The high ceilings and simple interiors were specially designed to be suitable for art programming, while the operable windows allow the structure to connect physically with the external areas.

Skylights were included in the gallery space.

On the roof, a patio was installed that adds 1,000 square feet (93 square metres) for social areas, hemmed in by rooftop planters. The designers said that space was left for the installation of solar panels.

A walkway bridges the courtyard, connecting the rooftops of the two programs.

The references to the past and the gas station's traditional role as a centre of community were considered in the design of the structure. This creates "a new type of filling station – one dedicated to serving art, community, and civic engagement," the studio said.

GO'C has completed a number of contemporary structures in the area, including a cedar-clad home that overlooks the water and a winery with an expansive patio.

The photography is by Kevin Scott. 

Project credits: 

Architect: GO'C
Project team:  Gentry / O’Carroll (Jon Gentry AIA, Aimée O’Carroll ARB), Ben Kruse, Becca Fuhrman, Nick Durig
Contractor: Métis Construction
Structural & civil engineering: J Welch Engineering
Kinetic window fabrication: Chris McMullen
Lighting designer: Fixture Studio

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Italian designer Gaetano Pesce has launched Dear Future, an exhibition at gallery The Future Perfect's Los Angeles location that presents a range of works created from the 1960s to the present.

On show in the Goldwyn House, The Future Perfect's LA mansion-cum-gallery, the Dear Future exhibition showcases Pesce's early designs for brands such as B&B Italia alongside contemporary pieces.

"Ever since I was young, I have discovered that I have a particular attraction for everything that was supposed to occur," said Pesce of the exhibition. "In other words, for all that is new arriving from the future."

"As a result, not being satisfied with what had already taken shape, I set about wondering what the future was revealing to us."

Concurrent with Frieze LA, Dear Future is the first gallery-hosted solo show by the 83-year-old designer in Los Angeles.

The exhibition is a celebration of Pesce's colourful style and insistence on creating "mass-produced originals", where resin-based designs are repeated in ways that allow each piece to be slightly different.

This ethos came out of Pesce's involvement with the Radical Design movement in Italy.

Set against the backdrop of the Beverly Hills manse, the exhibition showcases his works in an in-situ style, mixing the historically disparate pieces.

Among the historical designs is the prototype of Pesce's UP5_6 chair – known as La Mamma – based on the design from a 1969 collection with B&B Italia.

The chair is a 2021 remake of the curved chair made from recycled bottle corks.

The exhibition also includes works from the Nobody's Perfect collection, which first ran in 2002, and the abstract lamps from the Some of Us collection, which feature painted faces on irregularly shaped resin.

More recent designs on show include variations of the Leaf Shelf collection from 2022, as well as Multicolored Lamps with Rocks, a collection of lighting pieces also from 2022.

Pesce is known for his combination of "technological innovation" and "social critique", according to the gallery.

"If modernist architecture and design disregarded the individual and attempted to standardize the human spirit, Pesce's lifeswork has been to upend prescriptive modes of thinking – a form of counter-design that favors incoherence, unpredictability, eccentricity and originality," said Future Perfect founder David Alhadeff.

"His future is not one of myth – it is an attainable reality free of war, inequality and uniformity, where human individualism is expressed in objects and style."

The exhibition also aimed to celebrate Pesce's pursuit to "achieve diversity within standardization."

"One work that exemplifies this pursual of imperfection is his Square Airport Lamp (1986/1994), a light sculpture consisting of a flexible membrane of rubber studded with miniature light bulbs and supported by fiberglass fishing rods and lead weights," said The Future Perfect.

Other recent appearances by Pesce include a series of chairs created for the Bottega Veneta's Spring/Summer 2023 runway in Milan. In 2019, some of his rarely-seen furniture was shown in New York's Friedman Benda gallery.

Dear Future will be open to the public from 16 February to 31 March 2023. For other architecture and design events, exhibitions and fairs, visit Dezeen's Event Guide. 

The photography is by Rich Stapleton.

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Masa Gallery has announced the opening of its permanent gallery in a heritage building in Mexico City where installations as well as a repository of work from past shows will be held.

To mark the gallery's fifth anniversary, Masa has set up shop in a historic home in the San Miguel Chapultepec neighbourhood of the Mexican capital.

Originally constructed in 1846, the 600-square-metre home was purchased by artist Federico Sánchez Fogarty in the early 20th century, who renovated it.

With five-metre tall ceilings, the building provided an ideal space for the gallery to display its works, and minimal interventions were made to the classical detailing.

Masa co-founder Age Salajõe told Dezeen that after a year of searching for a space that the home, which was a meeting space for artists and architects in the 20th century, was the correct fit.

"It's clean yet classical," she said.

The gallery made minimal interventions to the interior of the building, besides applying fresh paint and adding interior walls to optimise light in the display areas.

"The house itself expressed the spirit of what we have always been with Masa," added co-founder Héctor Esrawe.

"The project of MASA is not shifting from the nomadic part, it's just that it became logical for us to have a physical space."

"We will still be travelling all over the world with exhibitions, but we also collect previous exhibitions that we need to display and this space becomes perfect," he continued.

"We really appreciate what is there, and there are times that you don't need to, as a creative to leave your mark. You need to be honest with the spot and this spot is so strong, that doesn't even require intervention."

To start off the series of installations, two collections were chosen: one by the third co-founder of Masa, Brian Thoreen, and the other by artist Mario García Torres.

For Thoreen's first solo show with MASA, the artist selected an array of functional and non-functional works called Non-Zero-Sum.

Arrayed in the white-painted walls of the house, the works include two-metre-tall candles as well as a selection of chairs and other furniture that were constructed using heavy neoprene.

Also on show is a more decorative triptych that depicts binary code cast in charcoal on paper.

"Through materiality and conceptuality, the piece merges digital and analog," said Masa. "Standing between functionality and non-functionality, the triptych contains coded information, yet the information is kept secret from the viewer."

Torres' installation includes a number of art and design works, including an aluminium chair inspired by the concrete work of American artist Bruce Nauman, as well as monochrome painting works.

Established in 2018, Masa became known for its travelling exhibitions, including shows that included design luminaries such as Frida Escobedo in an empty modernist mansion in Mexico City as well as in a former post office underneath the Rockefeller Center in Manhattan.

The photography is by Alejandro Ramirez Orozco unless otherwise noted. 

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Bubblegum-pink walls, floors and furniture create unconventional spaces for displaying art at this gallery in Paris designed by local studio Golem.

Headed by architect and artist Ariel Claudet, the practice was invited to design the interior for the Superzoom art gallery, which is located in the historic Le Marais district.

The gallery comprises three spaces arranged in an unusual order, with the gallery director's office at the entrance, a white-cube gallery space in the centre and an accessible storage space at the rear.

"We flipped upside-down the classic and elitist sequence of an art gallery, offering visitors a new pleasure-driven experience and the gallery managers three spatial tools for a large range of curatorial approaches," explained Claudet.

Superzoom's signature colour pink was used as the basis for the design, reflecting the vibrancy of the local nightlife and techno scene where the gallery mingles with artists and collectors, according to Claudet.

An integrated sound system hooked up to a vinyl record player provides a soundtrack of electronic music to enhance this connection.

By placing the director's bright-pink office at the front, Golem aimed to create an entrance that is warmer and more inviting than a typical white gallery space.

The "pink den" contains a built-in bench for visitors and a fake grass carpet that contributes to the warm, tonal aesthetic.

Visitors can continue through into a large and versatile white-walled gallery. This display area remains connected to the main spatial concept thanks to the pink openings on either side.

The final space within the gallery is a storage area with walls painted the same shade of lively pink. In a conventional gallery setting, this space would be hidden away. But here, it is open and accessible to visitors.

Each of the spaces in Superzoom's gallery can be used for exhibiting work, either independently or together.

For example, Golem suggested the white cube could be used for a solo show while other artists' work is presented in the director's office and storage space.

All of the furniture and the pink wall separating the white cube from the director's office are mobile and can be removed to create a larger space for exhibitions or parties.

Golem designed the baby pink table featured in the director's office as an emblem of the gallery that can be taken to art fairs or used for client dinners.

Claudet founded Golem in 2021 after working as an architect for practices including Rem Koolhaas's Rotterdam-based firm OMA.

Other all-pink interiors published on Dezeen include a fur-covered Balenciaga store in London and the Minimal Fantasy holiday apartment in Madrid.

The photography is by Cyrille Lallement.

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Architecture studio Enter Projects Asia has completed a private gallery for a collector in Chiang Mai, Thailand, featuring an undulating rattan structure designed by an algorithm that weaves its way in and out of the building.

The 2,000-square-metre gallery complex comprises gardens, water features and a series of pavilions for displaying the owner's collection of silverware, fine china and porcelain, including what is reportedly the largest collection of Wedgwood porcelain in Southeast Asia.

Enter Projects Asia, which is based on the Thai island of Phuket, developed a holistic proposal for the project that spanned everything from spatial planning to lighting and furniture, with the fluid rattan structures providing a consistent element throughout the scheme.

The aim was to create a less "clinical, antiseptic" interpretation of a traditional gallery, based on the studio's research into parametric design and dynamic forms, Enter Projects Asia director Patrick Keane explained.

"We sought to create an immersive experience, giving the space a warmth and depth uncharacteristic of conventional art galleries," he said.

The gallery features two wings arranged on either side of a central entrance. Each wing contains an exhibition space, with a private dining area also accommodated in the larger of the two volumes.

The rattan installation begins at the entrance and traces an overhead route through the building, seamlessly transitioning between inside and outside.

At several points, the suspended structure drops down to create bulbous open-sided pods, incorporating shelves for displaying artworks and objects.

The installation's complex form was generated using generative design software and is intended to simulate the movement of clouds and steam.

Its shape seems to change constantly when viewed from different perspectives, adding visual dynamism to the interior.

Lighting integrated within the overhead structure creates a warm glow both during the day and night, while concealed lights illuminate the display areas.

The three rattan pods – measuring five, four and three-and-a-half metres in height respectively – were fabricated in a factory during the coronavirus lockdowns before being transported to the site and assembled.

Enter Projects Asia regularly works with rattan palm, which is a naturally abundant resource in the region. Previously, the studio produced a similarly sculptural wickerwork installation for an office and factory building in Waregem, Belgium.

During the pandemic, the practice also launched an initiative called Project Rattan that focuses on creating bespoke rattan furniture and lighting using local craft skills.

According to Keane, the fast-growing palm species are well suited to use in interior design, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional building materials.

"It is not hard to be sustainable in construction if we adapt to our environment," he said. "Why would we use synthetic, toxic plastics when we have all the noble materials we need at our fingertips?"

Keane founded Enter Projects in 2005 after completing his studies in Australia and the USA. Since relocating to Asia, the firm's projects aim to combine a focus on innovation with a strong sustainable agenda.

Previously, a rattan studio the practice designed for yoga brand Vikasa was named leisure and wellness interior project of the year at the 2020 Dezeen Awards.

The photography is by William Barrington-Binns.

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A curved colonnade fronts this extension to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, Canada, creating an airy new lobby for the art gallery and completing the institution's expansion.

The Harrison McCain Pavilion was completed in 2022 in the New Brunswick capital by KPMB Architects, a Canadian studio based in Toronto.

The 9,000 square-foot (836 square metres) structure acts as a new lobby for the gallery.

At the front of the building, the roof projects out towards Queen Street and is supported by precast concrete columns that are set at slightly different angles, pointing towards the front door.

This arched colonnade, which the architects also refer to as a "front porch," creates a covered entrance for the new ramp into the building.

"Designing the Harrison McCain Pavilion for the Beaverbrook Art Gallery presented an important opportunity to provide a greater sense of inclusivity and accessibility into a Fredericton landmark," said KPMB founding partner Shirley Blumberg.

"We hope the new addition will become a catalyst for even more meaningful engagement with the community."

At one end of the space, a fireplace anchors the cafe and communal areas, creating a cosy atmosphere for museum visitors.

All of the pavilion's exterior walls are made of full-height glass that brings ample daylight to the interiors.

The new pavilion is situated across from the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick.

Its prominent location led the architects to choose materials that would relate to the historical context around it.

"Through the structure's fanned facade, passersby are given the opportunity to engage with the provincial art collection from Queen Street, peering into the new public spaces," said KPMB Architects.

"Rendered in precast concrete and glass, the facade's understated and gentle curve reflects that of Queen Street and the Saint John River with a classical colonnade that recalls the area's porticos and porches," KPMB Architects explained.

The interiors include new ticketing facilities, membership desks, a gift shop and a cafe.

Most importantly, the gallery envisions the expansive, double-height space as a venue for community engagement, and has placed works from its collection on display within the public areas.

"We are very excited to welcome the public to view the newest expansion to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery," said gallery director Tom Smart.

"The Harrison McCain Pavilion is breathtaking. This comfortable, spacious addition to our gallery is a contemporary take on the existing architecture in the city," Smart added.

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery was established in 1959 and supported by Sir Max Aitken, also known as Lord Beaverbrook. The works he personally collected were bequeathed to New Brunswick's Provincial collection in 1994.

Other new gallery spaces include the private residence, studio, and gallery of the Canadian artist Charles Pachter in Toronto's Chinatown neighbourhood, and a proposed expansion to the Portland Museum of Art by Lever Architecture.

The photography is by Doublespace Photography.

Project credits:

KPMB team: Shirley Blumberg (partner), Matthew Wilson (senior associate), Francesco Valente-Gorjup (associate), Jinsu Park, Jonathan Santaguida, Lukas Bergmark, Ramin Yamin, Gerald DesRochers
Structural engineers: Eastern Designers and Company Ltd
Mechanical engineers: Crandall
Electrical engineers: RSEI Consultants Ltd
Lighting consultant: DotDash
Signage consultant: Entro
Building science consultant: JMV Consulting
Acoustical consultant: Aercoustics

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American studio Lever Architecture has revealed its proposal for the Portland Museum of Art campus expansion in Maine, with a design that aims to honour the state's history through the use of mass timber.

The project will add 60,000 square feet (5,574 square metres) to the museum campus and will be used as a gallery and public space, facilitating between 300,000 and 500,000 yearly visitors.

Lever Architecture's design includes a mass timber structure that aims to unite the museum's existing campus of four historic buildings.

Renderings show a curved frame with expansive openings near the top. Terracotta and glass will be used for the exterior facing.

According to the studio, the proposed building's curved roofline will frame the rising and setting of the sun in homage to the Wabanaki – the confederacy of four Indigenous tribes in Maine.

"Our teams' perspectives on Wabanaki culture, community engagement, and universal accessibility were at the root of this design process," said Lever Architecture principal Chandra Robinson.

"Maine's natural beauty and welcoming community have been such an inspiration to the team, and we cannot wait to create a new museum that takes a giant step into the future and brings us all to a time and place that celebrates how art and the human spirit are intertwined," said the studio.

The interiors will feature large atrium spaces that open up the educational and gallery spaces. The mass timber structural elements will be visible as interior features, and additional wood details such as battens lining the underneath suspended walkways will be featured.

As well as being a strong and sustainable material option, the use of mass timber was intended to nod to Maine's history in the lumber industry.

"Lever Architecture, and the team they have assembled, have demonstrated that they care deeply about our region's future, our unique arts culture, and the needs of our community," said Portland Museum of Art director Mark Bessire.

"They share our values of courage, equity, service, sustainability and trust, and we can't wait to get to work with Lever Architecture and our communities to imagine Maine's next great landmark."

The design was selected from 104 entries in an international competition organised by Dovetail Design Strategists.

Lever Architecture, based in Oregon and LA, was chosen as the winning entry out of four finalists, which included proposals by Adjaye Associates, MVRDV, and a collaborative design from Toshiko Mori Architects, Johnston Marklee and Preston Scott Cohen.

The studio has completed a number of projects in the US, including an office building made from structural plywood and an adaptive reuse of a 1940s factory building.

Visuals are by Darcstudio.

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Weathered walls and concrete floors feature in this design gallery that creative collective The Guild of Saint Luke and architecture firm Studio ECOA have set up inside a former factory in Paris.

Spread across one storey and two mezzanines, GSL Gallery provides a mixture of studio and exhibition space for the group of architects, artists and artisans that make up The Guild of Saint Luke.

The gallery occupies a disused factory in Pantin, a neighbourhood in northeastern Paris with a growing arts and culture scene.

In recent years, the building operated as a classic car garage but was purchased by art dealer and gallerist Hadrien de Montferrand during the pandemic with the aim of transforming the site into a gallery.

De Montferrand enlisted locally based Studio ECOA to carry out all the necessary architectural changes and asked The Guild of Saint Luke (GSL) to steer the building's design and become its first tenant.

"We were charmed by the space and found the patina and raw walls to be punk and accidentally on-point," GSL's creative director John Whelan told Dezeen.

"Working in close collaboration with Studio ECOA, we proposed a project that retained all of the rawness of the spaces with very minimal design interventions," he continued.

"We felt that it would be criminal to interfere with the existing mood, which is melancholic and eerily beautiful."

Studio ECOA restored the building's facade and aluminium roof, as well as preserving its original concrete flooring.

Boxy storage units were built on either side of the front door to form a corridor-like entrance to the ground floor, where white panelling was added across the lower half of the patchy, time-worn walls to emulate the look of a typical gallery.

This ground-floor space will be used to display a changing roster of avant-garde installations, which GSL hopes to finance by using the gallery's workspaces to produce more commercial projects for design brands.

"Commercial endeavours will help to fund more proactive 'passion projects', where we will exhibit GSL's own designs along with designers and artists that we admire," Whelan said.

"Our chief motivation is creative freedom, as we hope to produce installations that do not necessarily adhere to a commercial brief."

The building's two existing mezzanines were cut back to create a central atrium, which draws natural light into the gallery's interior.

The lower mezzanine now houses a hybrid live-work space where GSL members or visiting artists can stay the night.

This space is centred by a large Donald Judd-style wooden table and also accommodates a bed, kitchenette and a bathroom concealed within a mirrored volume.

Extra exhibition space is provided on the secondary mezzanine that sits beneath the building's roof, directly under a series of expansive skylights.

Prior to now, GSL has largely specialised in hospitality interiors – restoring historic brasseries across Paris and devising opulent restaurants such as Nolinski near the Musée du Louvre and Maison Francois in London.

"We hope that the gallery will be an extension of the aesthetic that we are trying to develop, embracing new ideas but never abandoning the pursuit of beauty," Whelan explained.

"It feels like a good time to do so, as Covid has cleared and a mood of optimism in design has emerged. This bracing, minimal space feels almost like a clean slate and invites a multitude of possibilities."

Other recent additions to Paris's cultural landscape include a major extension of the Musée Albert Kahn by Kengo Kuma and Associates, which made room for a historic collection of 72,000 photographs.

Elsewhere in the French capital, Bruno Gaudin Architectes just completed a 15-year renovation of the National Library of France, incorporating a number of new circulation routes and public spaces.

The photography is by Oskar Proctor. 

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London practice ZMMA has transformed the home of artist Thomas Gainsborough in Sudbury, Suffolk, into a gallery and museum with a material palette of redbrick and flint informed by his landscape paintings.

Born in 1727, Gainsborough spent his childhood in Sudbury before moving to London to study painting, and his depictions of the scenic Suffolk landscape saw him become a central figure in the British Landscape School.

The £10 million transformation of Gainsborough House, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, saw ZMMA restore the heritage-listed Georgian townhouse where Gainsborough grew up alongside the creation of a new three-storey building.

The existing buildings, which have served as a museum since 1962, now house new galleries and a study centre, while the adjacent Weavers Lane Cottages have also been reconfigured to created a new print workshop and cafe overlooking a walled garden.

"The physical transformation of Gainsborough's house will fundamentally change this historic site, enabling it to become an international centre for Gainsborough and a cultural hub in the heart of East Anglia," said the museum's director, Mark Bills.

The new building provides four gallery spaces, culminating in a flexible space for learning and events on the third floor which features a camera obscura for looking out across the Suffolk landscape.

Drawing on the palette of Gainsborough's landscape paintings, ZMMA designed the building with a flint and weathered steel base, supporting an upper volume clad in red brick.

The brickwork has been finished with a "woven" texture, informed by Sudbury's historical silk-weaving industry, while the garden of the adjacent cottage is wrapped by a "crinkle-crankle" brick wall.

"The powerful connection between the landscape surrounding Sudbury and its representation in Gainsbourg's work inspired us to create a new gallery building whose clay and flint materials are brought directly from Gainsborough's Suffolk landscape," said Adam Zombory-Moldovan, project director at ZMMA.

"Sudbury's silk-weaving led us to make brickwork facades that appear woven, and to silk-line a new gallery for Gainsborough's grandest canvases," he continued.

The interiors of the existing building remain true to their historical use, displaying paintings alongside original pieces of furniture.

In the new building, the darker ground floor gallery is lined with Sudbury silk damask wallpaper and features parquet floors, while above, more traditional white-walled gallery spaces sit underneath a zig-zagging ceiling punctured by skylights.

Suffolk's rural landscape has been the site of several recent homes that make the most of its impressive views, including a steel-framed home by Norm Architects and an off-grid, barn-style dwelling by Studio Bark.

The photography is by Hufton + Crow.

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An extension made of blue corrugated metal panels has been added to a laneway house in Toronto's Chinatown neighbourhood to create a new museum and residence for the Canadian artist Charles Pachter.

Charles Pachter is a Canadian artist, known for his paintings of moose, landscapes and Queen Elizabeth. The artist wanted to renovate an existing studio, which occupies an industrial lot in Toronto's Chinatown.

The artist commissioned local architect Lia Maston of Firma for the renovation and extension. Firma, which Maston founded in 2014, focuses on revitalising laneway houses in Toronto.

"Pachter purchased the lot, which included a one-storey warehouse in the rear, in 1996 and used the existing space as an intimate event space for launches and fundraisers, dubbed the Moose Factory," said Firma.

The intervention was completed in October 2022 and added two storeys to the back of the property to create a 7,800 square-foot space (725 square metres). The building contains the artist's living quarters, and office, as well as a gallery and event space.

The extension features curved corners on the outside that were inspired by the rounded forms found in Pachter's paintings.

"We used Charles' paintings as a departure point for the building’s design: his colour palette of blues, the reductive simplicity of the form," said Lia Maston.

"Working with Charles pushed me to do something more interesting than usual, using art as a springboard."

As the building rises above its neighbours, it steps back to create exterior terraces on the second floor and on the roof.

"Rising above its surrounds, the new museum, with its curved tiers and large wooden decks is reminiscent of a 20th-century ocean liner," said Firma.

The interiors of the space were designed to be filled with natural light while avoiding direct sunlight. Within the gallery spaces, multiple round skylights help to display Pachter's paintings more naturally.

"Working together, Pachter and Maston created a space for the artist to both create and celebrate the art," said the team.

At the back of the space, the studio included a white steel staircase with open treads that connects all of the floors. This stair wraps around a curved glass elevator that lends the space a refined and futuristic feel.

The building's ground floor is reserved for public events. Upstairs are the artist's quarters, which include two bedrooms, a living area and an office.

On the top floor there is a small overrun that is used to access the expansive rooftop. Perforated metal screens wrap the exterior spaces, offering some privacy.

"The building is clad in undulating teal sheet metal, and the decks are enclosed by screens made of wavy and perforated aluminum sheet metal," said Firma.

Other art galleries include a new gallery in LA that showcases the work of up-and-coming Korean artists and a monolithic concrete gallery in Maryland that Thomas Phifer and Partners designed to house sculptures by artist Richard Serra.

The photography is by Doublespace Photography.

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This art and design gallery in Venice, California occupies a former private house where interiors by designer Gabriella Kuti provide a warm, neutral backdrop for the works on show.

Maison Lune was co-founded by French artist and designer Sandrine Abessera and Ukrainian fashion designer Lubov Azria, who set about creating a "dream home, where beauty rules".

"We want to build an alternative to traditional galleries, which are often perceived as too elitist and intimidating," said Abessera and Azria.

The duo worked closely with interior designer Gabriella Kuti to turn what was a private house in a protected historical building into a space to showcase a rotating series of exhibitions.

The gallery is organised like a collector's home, with artworks and design pieces spread across multiple rooms that total 4,000 square feet (371 square metres).

Their intention was to allow visitors to journey through the different rooms and floors, which are designed to exude a warm atmosphere.

The team didn't need to alter too much of the existing interiors but added storage and lighting to help better display the works.

"The space was already an amazing canvas for this purpose: high ceilings, lots of lights and skylight, white limestone floors," the co-founders told Dezeen. "We created more shelving with LA artisans and added more lights."

Architectural features like circular windows, spiral staircases and marble bathrooms all bring character to the gallery.

The house also has a terrace with a small swimming pool and balconies for displaying pieces outdoors.

Everything displayed through the various styled vignettes, from artworks to collectible design pieces, is for sale.

The aim is to spotlight a wide range of both established and emerging artists and designers, who work across mediums and techniques including painting, sculpture, photography, furnishings, ceramics, lighting, textiles and objects.

"The pieces showcased represent the varied and changing cultural landscape of identities, values and beliefs," the pair said.

Inaugurating the gallery is a group exhibition titled Transcendence, curated by Gaia Jacquet Matisse and including work by her mother, Sophie Matisse, along with artists Bobbie Olivier, Jeannie Weissglass, Edson Fernandes, James Fischetti, Angela Damman and Santiago Martinez Peral.

Together, the show aims to "examine the concept of duality within our existence as humans inhabiting the earth, alongside nature" according to the team.

This debut exhibition will continue until the Frieze Los Angeles 2023 art fair, which takes place 16-19 February, then the gallery is scheduled to host four showcases per year.

Presenting art and collectible design in a residential setting has become a popular way for gallerists and fairs to contextualise the objects, and make them more appealing to potential buyers.

Galleries like The Future Perfect, which operates showrooms in LA, New York and San Francisco, and the Nomad Circle series of travelling design fairs are among those that have found success through this format.

The photography is by Ye Rin Mok.

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Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning studio SANAA has extended the Art Gallery of New South Wales with a series of pavilions that step down towards Sydney Harbour.

Set to open to the public on 3 December, Sydney Modern is designed to contrast with the existing art gallery's 19th-century neo-classical architecture, with the two buildings connected by a public art garden.

SANAA aimed for the extension, which is set in a prominent location on a hillside overlooking Sydney Harbour's Woolloomooloo Bay, to act in harmony with the scenic location.

"We aim to design an art museum building that is harmonious with its surroundings, one that breathes with the city, the park and the harbour," said SANAA principals Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa.

The building contains 7,000 square metres of gallery space – almost doubling the exhibition area for the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

It comprises a cluster of interlocked, rectilinear pavilions grouped around a large, glass-walled atrium at the building's centre that reaches over eleven metres at the highest point and has views across the harbour.

On the lower levels, rammed earth was used to construct the walls using materials sourced from across the Australian state of New South Wales.

Meanwhile, on the upper levels, glass walls were placed to create views across the Royal Botanic Gardens and Sydney Harbour. On top and between the pavilions are a total of 3,400 square metres of courtyards and rooftop terraces, which will be used to host various art installations.

The extension contains a range of large spaces for displaying art, with a gallery dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art placed on the entrance level.

There are four more galleries, including two that are each over 1,000 square metres with 5.5-metre-high ceilings, located at the lower levels. The building also contains a range of smaller exhibition areas, learning studios for children and school groups and a dedicated studio for creating multimedia works.

"Our vision has been to transform the Art Gallery into an art museum campus with seamless connections between art, architecture and landscape," said director of Art Gallery of New South Wales Michael Brand.

"Our expansion has such a strong sense of place and such an innovative display of art," he added.

Below the building, a world war two naval fuel bunker has been converted into a 2,200-square-metre space named the Tank.

The unique underground space has seven-metre-high ceilings and will be used for large-scale, site-specific commissions.

Sydney Modern is the first public art museum in Australia to achieve a six-star Green Star design rating. The building is powered entirely by renewable energy, with 10 per cent of the energy created by solar panels on the entrance pavilion roof. Rainwater is captured for reuse in irrigation and cooling towers.

Sydney Modern is Japanese architecture studio SANAA's first project in Australia. Founded by Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa in 1995, the Tokyo-based firm was recently named winner of 2022 Praemium Imperiale for architecture.

The firm is known for designing various international museum projects including a cloud-like structure for Shenzhen Maritime Museum. Other recent projects by SANAA include a perforated metal-clad campus for Milan's Bocconi University.

The photography is by Iwan Baan unless stated otherwise.

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Gallerist Rosa Park has opened a space in Los Angeles to showcase the work of Korean artists and designers, with interiors by local studio BC intended to reflect the country's visual culture.

Francis Gallery LA is Park's second location and is an expansion of her original gallery in Bath, UK – both presenting the work of emerging Korean artists.

Situated on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, the new space was designed with Lindsey Chan and Jerome Byron, founders of LA-based BC.

The duo preserved the building while transforming the inside with references to traditional Korean architecture and art.

These include a curved partition wall influenced by a moon jar and a contemporary re-interpretation of a hanok courtyard.

"The space was conceived to pay homage to Korean art and design in subtle ways – whether it was in the curve of a partition wall, the colour palette of the interior paints, or the profile of a low bench in the courtyard," said Park.

Places of worship like chapels and monasteries were also referenced in the design. These were accentuated by the use of "humble materials" and pared-back forms.

Although minimal, the intention was to ensure the gallery still felt warm and inviting, as well as provide an appropriate setting for the pieces on show.

"I think this emotional connection to a space, to a work, is central to what I'm doing with Francis," Park said.

"It was of great importance to me that the space acted as the ideal framework to house works that I hope will move people."

The inaugural exhibition at Francis Gallery LA is titled Morning Calm, on view until 7 January 2023, and features the work of six artists of Korean descent.

Bo Kim, John Zabawa, Koo Bohn Chang, Nancy Kwon, Rahee Yoon and Song Jaeho are all at different stages in their careers.

Their painting, photography, sculpture and ceramics all explore Korean identity in an international context and offer insights into the artists' cultural heritage.

"With Los Angeles being home to the largest Korean community in the United States and Park having roots in both Seoul and LA, the debut show seeks to explore the nuanced connections between the two places," said a statement from the gallery.

LA's art scene has grown exponentially over the past decade, and the city is now home to many new galleries and exhibition spaces.

Well-known names that have opened their own locations there include Hauser & Wirth and The Future Perfect, while others like Marta are using modernist buildings like Neutra's VDL II House to exhibit.

The photography is by Rich Stapleton.

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Architectural scientist and designer Mae-ling Lokko used bio-based materials, including mycelium and coconut waste, to create this installation focused on ideas of economic and ecological justice at Belgium's Z33 gallery.

Grounds for Return was Ghanaian-Filipina designer Lokko's first European solo exhibition and was displayed at the Z33 House for Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture in Hasselt, Belgium.

The exhibition, which features on the shortlist for the installation design category at Dezeen Awards 2022, examined the notion of sites and spaces of extraction, with a focus on how slaves and food were historically shipped out from West Africa.

"At a time when the world is questioning and examining our historical and contemporary patterns of extraction and destruction, I believe this exhibition's theme of 'generative justice' looks directly at iconic sites of extraction and offers pathways of returning value and instilling hope," Lokko explained.

Through her research at Yale University's School of Architecture, and her company Willow Technologies, based in Accra, Ghana, Lokko works with agricultural waste to create affordable bio-based building materials.

Grounds for Return highlighted the cycle through which crops and dwellings can rise out of the ground to support the land and community, before biodegrading and returning nutrients to the soil.

Imagery and materials referenced the physical and psychological processes that contribute to these cyclical value systems.

The visitor's journey began with a threshold influenced by the Doors of No Return found at encampments on the West African coast where slaves were loaded onto ships.

Lokko created a gateway using wall panels made from the textured husks of coconuts. These hard shells, covered with wiry fibres, are typically discarded as part of the process used to produce coconut water and cosmetic products.

Another part of the exhibition, Healing Meadow, focused on the properties of fungal organisms, which play an important role in enhancing soil and supporting plant systems.

The artwork comprised a landscape that recalled the shapes of mushroom caps. It was created using modular panels made from mycelium – a biomaterial that forms the root systems of fungi.

The undulating installation was inhabited by various species of herbs that are traditionally grown for medicinal purposes. The plants were harvested throughout the exhibition's duration as part of a series of educational workshops.

Different mycelium panels moulded into more angular forms were installed on the walls of a tunnel connecting the area dedicated to farming with a space focused on dining rituals.

The narrow corridor provided just enough space for one visitor at a time to pass through, bringing them close enough to experience the smell of the material, as well as its visual and acoustic properties.

The final part of the installation was The Elemental Table, designed in collaboration with Ghanaian culinary artist and chef Selassie Atadika.

Developed by Lokko during a residency with sculptor and artist El Anatsui, the table re-established traditional methods for preparing and eating food that have been largely displaced by modern kitchens and cooking practices.

The table itself was formed of apampa market trays, which women typically carry on their heads and place on surfaces to sell food.

Lazy Susans integrated into the table encouraged communal dining and sharing of food, which is an important aspect of food culture in Ghana. Smaller vessels placed on the table contained herbs, seasonings and spices.

"The return to the communal table comes full circle to represent an important step toward reconnecting the act of eating with acts of food production," Lokko added.

Other installations featured on the shortlist for Dezeen Awards 2022 include a representation of a sinking house designed to highlight the dangers posed by climate change, and a pavilion made from glass blocks that celebrates the culture and tradition of Greenland.

The photography is by Selma Gurbuz.

Grounds for Return took place between 26 September 2021 and 09 January 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron and Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf have teamed up to create Calder Gardens in Philadelphia, which will house works by American sculptor Alexander Calder.

Herzog & de Meuron has designed a 17,695-square-foot (1,643 square-metre) two-storey structure for Calder Gardens, much of which will be located underground.

"A kind of conceptual path which made us carve out the ground rather than build forms and volumes above – we were looking for space to present Calder's work in a new and unprecedented way," said Herzog & de Meuron co-founder Jacques Herzog.

"That space in the making eventually grew into a whole sequence of different galleries and also rather unexpected spaces, niches and gardens," he continued.

"And not only galleries in the classical sense, but every corner and angle, every stair and corridor should be offering itself up as a place to put art."

Overall, the project will occupy 69,319 square feet (6,439 square metres) and be located off Benjamin Frank Parkway in Downtown Philadelphia. The city is the birthplace of the artist, who is known foremost for his massive mobiles.

Oudolf's gardens will stretch from a walking path and surround Herzog & de Meuron's building.

A rectilinear primary structure will protrude from the hillside and be clad in reflective metal cladding that will "blur the boundaries between architecture and the natural world – the material and the immaterial," according to Herzog & de Meuron.

Two large stone plinths will sit adjacent to a cave-like primary entrance that will lead to a double-height space.

A large metal sculpture will be placed in the centre of this space, which will have a mezzanine above that will act as both a viewing platform and a hallway to bring visitors into the galleries on the upper floor.

Large windows will be placed throughout the facade to let the gardens outside complement the sculptures and vice versa.

The architects opted to use as much natural light as possible for the design, with sculptures set to be housed in partially-enclosed rooms that are open at the top to let the light in.

Four-season flora, both local and imported, will fill the garden and cover parts of the building's facades. Works will be positioned in the gardens as well, to provide many different contexts in which to see the art.

"For Calder Gardens, the horticultural design must also serve the works of art," said Oudolf.

"My hope is that people will take the time to stand still and think here, to fully experience these elements together and have an emotional reaction that stays with them long after their visit," he added.

The push for the project was led primarily by the non-profit Calder Gardens foundation, and the site will be managed by the adjacent Barnes Foundation, an art institution.

The Ballinger Company will serve as the architect of record for the project which breaks ground in 2023 and is expected to be completed by 2024.

Other projects recently announced by Herzog & de Meuron in the United States include a mass-timber shopping centre in Austin, Texas.

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