Magazin

Be it a wellness rocking chair, with a rainwater flush or restrooms with a back door: Students at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts have developed toilets that break with the traditional images of the WC.

How a society deals with people with impairments says a lot about the prevailing social climate. Mind you, the way in which bureaucracy’s quaint logic often succeeds in thwarting aspirations for an ideal barrier-free world is just as insightful.

In the form of the “Axor Starck V” fountain mixer, Axor, Hansgrohe SE’s design brand, is entering virgin territory and conjuring up a vortex in bathrooms. Thomas Wagner talked to Philippe Grohe, MD of the Axor brand, on flowing and calm water, on vortices and other ways of making water a sensible experience.

Berlin architects Augustin + Frank have built a kind of ur-house: Marvelously positioned on the shore of Scharmützelsee and surrounded by pines – it’s as though the countryside glides through the concrete structure.

: makes fabrics from wood and considers itself a “materializer”

Is building in the countryside different to construction work in towns? Do rural edifices possibly need to have more character? Florian Heilmeyer talked to architect Thomas Kröger about three projects in the Uckermark.

Architect Ursula Fuss has designed an extraordinary standard bathroom for hotels. Not only does it look good, it has no barriers.

Ralf Steeg has a dream: one about being able to swim in rivers running through cities again. With this in mind, this landscape designer has developed “Luritec”, a retention plant destined to help keep rivers clean.

Hemp on the wall or vintage concrete? Huge glass windows that can be slid aside with a single finger or frontage with a parametric look? A glance at the most interesting innovations at BAU 2015.

Come to Brandenburg with us! For behind its fences and trees, in the meadows and on the lakes we have discovered amazing architecture well worth exploring.

The former worsted yarn spinning mill in Brandenburg an der Havel is in for a makeover – the brick building is going to be home to studios, office space, a children’s daycare center, and some unusual apartments.

With “Sketch” for Schönbuch Markus Jehs and Jürgen Laub of Jehs + Laub demonstrate how to design a minimalist coat stand. Martina Metzner talked to the pair about their idea, pared-down design, and models of Fritt chews.

For his lifetime achievements Nils Holger Moormann has been presented with the “German Design Award” in Frankfurt. Prompting Florian Hufnagl, former Director of the Neue Sammlung in Munich, to compose a special laudation in words and images.

More than ten years ago Antonio Citterio designed his first range of fittings for Axor, a brand by Hansgrohe. Having done two very distinct series, he created a synthesis with his third: Axor Citterio E. The designer and architect talked to us about risks, confidence and the quality of life, all of which are occasionally associated with selected products.

: are fans of the radical and made the “Nerd”

Not only in nature has the force of water created impressive landscapes. With the help of water people have also designed wonderful spaces. Both are places of inspiration and calm.

In order to provoke an in-depth exploration of the element of water, Axor has launched its own competition. For the “Axor Inspiration Project” architects and interior designers were invited to develop new concepts on the topic of “water in space”.

The country is something fundamentally different from the city. It is a different type of settlement, there is social control, people have more space, but shopping opportunities are not as good. In one respect though, the country is thoroughly urbanized, namely in the way we perceive it. In the country too people are viewing it the way previously only city dwellers did. And they build things the same way.

At this year’s BAU in Munich manufacturers didn’t really seem to have that much thirst for the future. The industry is stuck between pragmatism and risk minimization, which impacts on architecture for sure.

Stockholm Design Week revealed that noise reduction can look good and smartphones are also changing our furniture. But just what is behind “New Nordic”?

News from the North? Yes, indeed! Even though the makers of the Stockholm Furniture Fair have completely revised the hall layout we managed to glimpse the hottest innovations – here are the 12 most exciting ones.

Claudia Kleine and Jörg Kürschner together constitute “Formstelle”. At the Thonet booth at the imm cologne the designer duo presented a much-discussed lounge chair. Thomas Wagner spoke to them both about the “808”, the design process and the issue of how one can cocoon and nevertheless remain open-minded.

Students’ designs and high-tech products turn their back on cooking and instead celebrate either networking and technologization or the rejection of the same. Cooking as a process, minus the process.

Inga Sempé has dragged the winged armchair into contemporary life – with “Beau Fixe” for Ligne Roset. In an interview with Uta Abendroth, the French designer explains what the design has to do with her childhood, why she likes working in a team, and why she feels attracted to small objects.

At Heimtextil and imm cologne’s “Pure Textiles” wallpaper suppliers and textile editors are celebrating a gleaming metallic look, 3D structures and all manner of technical features. We present the top ten highlights of the two fairs.

At the ISH trade fair in Frankfurt new bath designs, smart technologies and energy-efficient building technologies will all be on show. We’ve brought together the most important information on the fair for you.

The documentary on the Böhm family is a masterpiece on the psychology of a family in which more or less everything revolves around architecture.

Planning and the question of your own requirements play a pronounced role when having an oven or fireplace installed. Once you know what you need, the market seems well-structured and clear, despite the seeming infinite choice available.

From the fringes of domestic life to one of its main attractions – it’s hard to imagine any other room whose status has been so thoroughly elevated in our homes over recent decades as the bathroom. Until very recently bathroom designs opted for either opulence or functionality. Today, planners and manufacturers are striving to achieve a symbiosis of the two.

Ross Lovegrove, “Special Guest” at Domotex 2015, has long since transposed his futuristic design onto floors. In the interview with Uta Abendroth he explains, in which way designers, architects and manufacturers can advance the design of floorings by thinking outside the box and new material compositions.