Merry X-mas + Happy New Year =

Rubber Johnny

Dschingel Bells, Dschingel Bells, Dschingel all the way

It was sooo exciting to be in Wuppertal again. A sensational city. The geography forces the urban substance to spread out in a linear way through the valley. There was hardly any space left for infrastructure so an elevated monorail was build on top of the river: the Schwebebahn. The river is mirrored by a steel skeleton that hovers over it. As the track follows the natural flow it features marvelous curves. Since the cars are hanging from a single rail they sway nicely in the banked curves. Oh what fun it is to ride…

Wikipedia: Schwebebahn Wuppertal is a suspended monorail in Wuppertal. Its full name is the Einschienige Hängebahn System Eugen Langen. The Schwebebahn is designed by Eugen Langen, who originally planned to build it in Berlin. It was built in 1900 as a local transport system. It is the oldest monorail in the world. The suspension railway travels along a route 13.3 kilometers long, about 12 meters above the river Wupper and approximately 8 meters above the streets.

The Kaiserwagen, the original train used by Emperor Wilhelm II during a test ride on 24 October 1900, can still be rented for festive occasions.

Making Offf: Vortag Wuppertal

Ground Breaking: Siemens Hengelo

Ground breaking of our project for Siemens in Hengelo: the cake is the cornerstone…

http://www.nlarchitects.nl/django/

Extra Extra

Our ‘newspaper’ Next Stop Lelylaan made it into the newspaper…

Parool Saturday December 4

http://www.nlarchitects.nl/django/

http://www.nieuwwest.amsterdam.nl/algemene_onderdelen/zoeken/@367947/rijksbouwmeester_wil/

Model Apartment

Young Joon arranged a visit to the latest model apartment of Kolon E&C, our client for the Gapyong project. It turned out to be a stunning experience. The apartment is so ingenious that perhaps for the first time since the comparison between a Corbu and a Traction Avant architecture can actually keep up with the advancements of the automobile. Even though I did not detect any airbags. (But it features an enclosed escape balcony. As long as you don’t desire a flat above the twentieth floor the ladder of a fire truck can pick you up. Otherwise you depend on a helicopter…)

Two apartments are on display of which the Kan Kan Premium is most impressive. The materials are luxury, mostly marble.

The entire loft seems to be developed from the one aspect normally overlooked in architecture: storage. The residence is hardcore practical. The design is made by the in-house creative team lead by Hyun-Joo Seo in collaboration with Japanese designer Kondo Noriko. It combines Japanese resourcefulness in optimizing limited space and transformation during the day with actual spaciousness. An exploded Frankfurter Küche.

Kan Kan is a transformer. The division walls are either moveable or function as a closet. Most cabinets can be reached from two sides and as such create unexpected relationships. The dressing room looks like a Helmut Lang store. By rotating one cupboard it suddenly turns from storage for winter clothes into a closet for summer dresses… the entrance is formidable; there are two ways into the apartment, through the family entrance or the formal guest entrance. Both with unlimited storage space, for shoes, sportswear etc..

Besides the technical advancement and fancy materialization true beauty is in the organization of the plan. The layout is based on a series of loops. For each room there are two ways in and out. By switching a cupboard the loops can be disconnected or opened up. It is the ideal place for kids. It will be hard to find them again if they choose to go into hiding. If a war breaks out it might be the ideal hideout, a transparent ‘panic room’…

Korean culture is a mixture of east and west. This pluriform identity requires additional versatility; the house basically should be more adaptable than residences elsewhere. In the standard apartment for instance the kitchen features a moveable section that can easily be rolled to the dinner table. Here it becomes a grill for family barbeques. It also features an additional specialized kitchen to keep the tradition alive of making your own Kimchi.

Suddenly it occurred to us that perhaps Old Boy has something to do with this apartment too: was the insanely glamorous penthouse that plays a part in this movie a source of inspiration?

Check out from minute 3:30

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDPkZZ6DtqU&NR=1

Check out from 2:17

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2AjQi9wFGw&NR=1

Kolon model apartment front office

Kan Kan Premium Apartment: welcome!

indoor garden

indoor shoes

over-head luggage

kids ‘living room’ (and storage)

room divider in kiz wiz

transform!

man made marble?

sit shower

privacy through a glass door in the ‘fusion bathroom’

slide and separate

Hyun-Joo Seo, Team Chief of the Kolon Design Creative Team

Wonder Living 365: storage dedicated to the living room

cupboard especially for your chargers.

season closet summer

season closet winter

from master bathroom towards powder room

what’s on?

‘kitchen oasis’ (kimchi kitchen in the back)

‘mom’s office’

cupboard for over-sized bowls

social sink

pop-up rice cooker

cook book display

seat step storage

bike parking

shoes up!

kimchi fridge

robot

movable kitchen block

More or less

Back to Seoul

After winning the competition for a residential project in Gapyong -with yo2, UNSANGDONG, Marina Stankovic and Kojima- Young Joon Kim invited us for the signing of the contracts for the development of the next phase. Exciting to be back in Seoul. The City that never sleeps. And always eats…

Taiwan Tower_Tower of Change

Click for clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUnz_Ngp03Q