Small, but perfectly formed, Ingrid Fuary-Wagner visits a new exhibition at London’s V&A.
July 1st, 2010
Walk around the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and you’d be forgiven for thinking you had stepped into a downsized universe.
It’s all because the V&A is currently holding an exhibition called 1:1 Architects Small Spaces.
19 architects from around the world were invited to submit their proposals for a small space that re-examines the notions of refuge and retreat.
The V&A then shortlisted seven designs, all of which have now been built to full-scale within the V&A grounds.
Among the favourites is Ark – a freestanding wooden structure neatly tucked in a corner next to a staircase.
Designed by Rintala Eggertsson Architects, the four façades consist of hundreds of shelves with white exposed page edges visible from the outside.
Step within, and you enter your own personal reading chamber where you are treated to a four-sided treasure-trove of colourful book spines.
Outside in the garden you’ll find yourself fighting back the urge to battle it out with the littlies for a spot under the Alice in Wonderland-like structure.
Designed by Helen and Hard Architects from Norway, Ratatosk, meaning ‘drill-tooth’ in Old Norse, provides a retreat into the depths of the imaginary.
Inspired by an ancient squirrel from Norse mythology that lived in a giant ash tree – the structure is made from 5 ash trees that have been split up so that you feel like you’re inside its trunk.
The other 7 designs are by architects from Studio Mumbai (India), Sou Fujimoto (Japan),Terunobu Fujimori (Japan), Vazio S/A (Brazil) and the Rural Studio (USA). They include a teahouse, performance booth, an ‘Inside/Outside Tree’, and an urban dwelling wedged between Mumbai offices.
V&A
Ratatosk by Helen & Hard Architects
Ark by Rintala Eggertsson Architects
In-between Architecture by Studio Mumbai Architects
Inside / Outside Tree by Sou Fujimoto Architects
Spiral Booths by Vazio S/A
Woodshed by Rural Studio
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
14 floors above the street, DEXUS Place offers Melbourne businesses a smarter way to meet, in an elegant and modern space designed by Girvan Waugh.
Characterised by a varying geometry, the Poliform Axia sideboard is functional, stylish and perfect for any home environment
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
2024’s theme, “Reawaken,” calls for a journey through reinvention and sustainability.
A south coast escape that redefines hospitality architecture.