Project of the Week

This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a residential design by 2020 SBID Awards Finalist, Knox Design. This villa was an investment project built in Mallorca to be sold as a second home. As this property was for sale, the aim was to create enough interest to make a lasting impression in the potential buyer’s mind, while still leaving enough space for them to mentally move in themselves.

SBID Awards Category: Residential Budget Up To £50k Sponsored by Sans Souci

Practise: Knox Design

Project: Villa Sol De Mallorca

Location: Mallorca, Spain

What was the client’s brief? 

The brief was to create a holiday home for grown-up families with an air of luxury as opposed to the typical, seaside blue and white themes often seen here.

What inspired the design of the project?

The living area stretched along the full-frontal section of the villa, calling for the definition of spaces and the creation of a sense of flow between them all. Once I defined the purpose of each of the living areas, I selected soft caramel and sandstone hues as a running theme to join them with each other, reflected in the use of marble, oak and artwork in these tones.

Sprinkles of mint, fuchsia and emerald were present in strategically placed soft furnishings and decorative items, all set against a sumptuous wallpaper in the stairwell, silky rugs, stunning overhead lamps and evocative artwork. I chose Rounded shapes in décor items and furniture to counterbalance the sharp geometry of the architecture. The overall effect is one of luxury elegance and comfort, space and luminosity.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

As in a lot of open plan living spaces, there was no entrance hall, so to speak, and the dining area felt exposed and cold. To solve this issue I asked for a partition wall to be added between the entrance lobby and the dining space in order to add intimacy to the dining area and provide a focal point opposite the front door.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The highlight is always installation day when all the visions come to reality and the house gains its soul.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

I entered the SBID awards for the first time in 2020, having been a recognised design professional for several years as although I am based in Mallorca Spain, the majority of my clients are British second homeowners.

Project of the Week

This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a residential design by 2020 SBID Awards Finalist J.Lykasova Studio. ONYX is a modern minimalistic interior of a spacious residential house for a family of three.

The concept is based on soft, timeless minimalism. A blend of wood, concrete, stone and metal balanced by neutral shades makes a background for artistic architectural forms. The rhythm of the space is driven by a sequence of gypsum panels, drop-down zonal lightning, and laconic brass columns. Bronzed mirrors expand the apartment, reflecting the play of lines and shapes and filling the rooms with air.

Natural materials in geometric shapes softened by chic design elements and décor create a calm and peaceful atmosphere, just what the clients were looking for.

SBID Awards Category: Residential House Over £1 Million Sponsored by Schneider Electric

Practise: J.Lykasova Studio

Project: ONYX

Location: Minsk, Belarus

What was the client’s brief? 

The clients were looking to create a calm and peaceful home that would become a real temple for their family, a place full of loving and positive energy. Soft pastel palette with bits of terracotta, mustard or bordo was their colour choice. The couple preferred sophisticated decor pieces to hyped well-known replicas and expected to have lots of mirror surfaces in the rooms.

As for the interior style, they opted for modern minimalism. ‘We would like to have a timeless minimalistic interior, calm and warm, yet with a twist! We don’t want it to be yet another featureless interior from a magazine, so we are looking forward to unconventional solutions that would make it distinctive and personalized.”

They also paid particular attention to functionality expecting to have a functional home, where everything is in its place. They loved the idea that less is more, yet wanted their home to be cosy and comfortable so that it did not feel empty and uninhabited.

What inspired the design of the project?

Actually, our clients, a married couple, are the major source of inspiration for this project. Regardless of their senior positions at work and corresponding responsibilities, they still take good care of their wellbeing and mental health. They work out a lot, they travel a lot and they never stop learning. Their vision of aesthetics and beauty resonated with us from the very start.

The homeowners wanted to have a stylish minimalist interior, yet bring in comfort and warmth along with unconventional interior solutions that would make their home truly special. So, we got inspired by the minimalistic concept: clean lines and forms and modern furnishing materials. The onyx stone seemed to reflect this idea in the best way: the texture and colour gradient of this natural material became a perfect foundation for designing a chic, lightweight and sophisticated interior.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Probably, one of the biggest challenges we came across was the slight difference in taste. Initially, the clients sincerely leaned towards the classic vibe, regardless of the initial brief for the minimalist interior, and so wanted to use corresponding finishing and decor items, such as mirrors. However, our vision of the space was different – we saw a minimalistic, yet classy interior in it. So, it took us some time to prove that rough materials such as concrete and aged metal can look truly noble and stylish. But we succeeded!

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Our clients rely on our vision completely, so it’s easy for us to collaborate with them on this project. When they wanted to change some of the aspects, e.g. the staircase, we discussed potential alternatives and shared the updates. Funny enough: they preferred the initial version after all.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

SBID Awards provide a great opportunity to gain invaluable insights into the industry trends, exchange professional experience and get feedback from a community of passionate architects and designers. We learn from each project presented by other nominees. All that inspires us to explore new directions and master our expertise so that we can continue creating exceptional projects for our customers.

Project of the Week

This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a public space design by 2020 SBID Awards Finalist NBBJ. The client for this project wanted to create a world-class campus that would attract and retain the very best students and academics.

SBID Awards Category: Public Space Design Sponsored by Sans Souci

Practise: NBBJ

Project: American International University 

Location: Jahra, Kuwait

What was the client’s brief? 

Armed with the client’s vision, the design team crafted a concept inspired by a young group of Kuwaitis, dedicated to rebuilding their natural landscape after decades of upheaval through the planting of 350,000 trees. The interior design embodies the attributes of these desert trees through the exploration of warmth, pattern, canopy, and dappled light.  The campus’ interstitial spaces pull from the qualities of middle-eastern seed pods (vibrant colours, unique forms and textures) resulting in environments that promote creative thinking and informal collaboration.  These spatial elements combine to form a campus that feels established and firmly focused on the country’s future leaders.

What inspired the design of the project?

The client wanted to create a world-class campus that would attract and retain the very best students and academics. A series of key design drivers was established to enable a strategy to achieve this from a spatial standpoint. These four design drivers were the primary inspiration for the final design of the campus:

Fostering Community: The Student Union offers a mix of environments that encourage this community of commuters to stay on campus and foster connections.

Oasis for learning: In response to the region’s harsh climate, the library serves as a campus destination that is fueled by natural light, plantings and comfortable learning environments.

Flexibility and Adaptability: The project was designed to use space efficiently while being ready for change. AIU is designed with the future in mind, able to adapt to support an evolving curriculum.

Wellness: The college is inspiring a cultural shift centred around physical fitness by opening an on-site fitness and health centre. Additionally, the feature stairs throughout the campus encourage movement.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Accelerated Schedule: The client bought out the University rights from another group. Once this was purchased, the shell and core of the building were already being constructed. In order to open for the autumn 2019 school year, the interior fit-out schedule needed to be accelerated. From visioning through Stage 4, the design team only had 20 weeks to execute the project. The scope included full interior design and FFE services.

Commuter Culture: The location of the University is located one hour from Kuwait City. The University’s competitors are located in the heart of Kuwait City. Being a commuter campus, we took this obstacle and turned it into opportunities to foster campus community and provide amenities; this was paramount to the project’s success. Amenity highlights include a 2-story library, collaboration hubs in student focused areas and a large work cafe to provide opportunities to learn and connect.

Unique Methods: As our scope did not include someone from our design team full time on site during construction, high expectations for quality needed to be met in working with local fabricators. As a result, we were able to add site visits to ensue craftsmanship and quality were appropriately met.

Flexibility and Adaptability: During the design process, Stage 1 – Stage 5, there wasn’t an established curriculum. The project was designed to use space efficiently while being ready for change. AIU is designed with the future in mind, able to adapt to support an evolving curriculum.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

It was incredibly rewarding to see student use (and love!) the space the way our design intended — from social interactions in the cafe to learning in the classrooms.

The built-in banquettes in the cafe were designed with larger groups in mind. The week our team visited for photography, bespoke banquettes designed to hold four-to-six students had eight students crammed in laughing and enjoying a meal together. Our client also told us that during student tours, the design has greatly helped with recruiting and retaining students.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

As the SBID International Design Awards is one of the most prestigious global interior design award programs, we thought it was the perfect platform to showcase a project we are proud of — that makes a difference in the lives of young people and creates a welcoming environment for the leaders, creators and innovators of tomorrow.

Magic & Surprise

The permission to believe in magic is the true joy of childhood, from Santa Claus to fairies living in the garden. This magic is captured in thousands of books from Harry Potter to the Lord of the Rings. Creating spaces with the element of magic gives a huge sense of enchantment. Surprise an unexpected object can be in its contradiction, great for diverting the mind and creates humour and wit. Every student at the Super power agency adores the spider man hanging from the dashboard of the bus. They don a cape and immediately think they can conquer any disability in their writing skills!

Celebration

Reflective materials of all kinds can create sparkle; metallic, glitter, sequins are all associated with a celebration. The dressing up costumes and accessories on the Bus are designed to sparkle to celebrate the children who enter the Bus and in turn, the start of their creative learning with the agency. ‘Glitter celebrates’, Carrie Fisher once said; ‘Its happy. It makes you look like your up for a good time’.

Maxine Sloss
Founder of the Super Power Agency

Click here to find out more about the SBID Education Council

Project of the Week

This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features an inspiring and thoughtfully designed children’s educational centre and a picture book library. With health and safety for the educational centre and library a priority, the education-centric design incorporates features such as air monitoring, hand disinfection stations, temperature monitoring and strict security. In additional, all materials are eco-friendly, non-toxic and child-friendly. From the strictly monitored entrance, children can explore the space by following colours and ‘flight routes’ to arrive at their destination. The interior is equipped with children’s toilets, drinking fountains and features to assist the children in their personal development. Besides meeting the need for children to play freely, safely and happily, the design also ensures parents have a relaxing and elegant environment in which they can rest, read and enjoy a coffee break.

Sector: Education Design

Company: Taipei Base Design Center

Project: Dou Dou Education Center 

Project Location: Shanghai, China

What inspired the interior design of the project? 

Nothing “hard” can be found in Dou Dou Fun Reading Forest Picture Book Library. The differentiation in the content, service, and environment has been achieved. The super-large area, huge number of books, and cross-field cooperation have all manifested the positive attitude, or ambition, to become the best of the best. It will become a model in China. However, we also saw parents have loving interactions with their children on the furniture, which were designed to be sat on “uprightly,” to indulge themselves in the stories of the picture books. We have also seen some parents just leave their children to the guiding teachers and take time for themselves to go shopping. For TBDC, the value judgement of the parents and the way to educate their children are the keys to deciding whether the space is beautiful and was the driving force for inspiring the final design of the project.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

This project is located at the central of the Zen Himalayas Center, Shanghai. It was essential that the original ceiling, wall and floor remain intact during the project development; therefore, we employed props which can be used in random combination to satisfy all kinds of functions, as well as lower the cost and shorten time.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The point of the education design focuses on the space being exclusively for children. Besides the basic elements of safety and sanitation, there are also proper arrangements for the operation flow and all kinds of activities, whilst catering to the needs of all ages. Seeing the impact this space has on the children and parents who are using it brings us the greatest sense of achievement.

Why did you enter the SBID International Design Awards?

The SBID International Design Awards is one of the most prestigious interior design awards, which recognises the excellence of interior designs. It would be an honour to be recognised by SBID International Design Awards, which will prove TBDC and our project to be an inspiring and high calibre project within the high standard of the industry. Also TBDC hope that Asian design and the Asian market can be seen and appreciated worldwide. TBDC are more than overjoyed to be chosen as this week’s Project of The Week.

Questions answered by Janus Huang and Roy Huang, Chief Designers of Taipei Base Design Center

If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring the biggest Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics store in the world, situated in the heart of Liverpool, click here to see more.

We hope you feel inspired by this week’s education design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire

Taipei Base Design Center | SBID International Design Awards

Image credits: Zhong Han

In the previous segment (Click here to read Part 1) of this article, we talked to the Design Manager of Innova Design Solutions, Peter Cunningham, about his views on the changing face of our children’s classrooms.

Continuing the interview, we get into more specific details about the type of furniture and furnishings that go into contributing to a positive schoolroom atmosphere. Peter also gives us an insight into just how important a child’s comfort and surroundings are to their mental state and learning capacity.

Crafting a Harmony between Design and Technology

As the influx of technology on our daily lives and those of our children continues to grow, educational environments must adapt in order to fully take advantage of the many benefits such advancements offer. The bottom line here is a flexible approach. “Technology is constantly evolving and as such, “flexibility” is key to being able to adapt to the changing environment. Our teacher walls, for example, house interactive TVs, replacing whiteboards,” says Peter.

However, classroom design shouldn’t forsake traditional models completely to pander to technological needs. Instead, a balance should be struck. “Design of classrooms has to be flexible to accommodate technology in independent study as well as group discussions. Understanding the needs of the users in a room is also an important factor. If a teacher is looking for a room which can be used to teach written theory work as well as the occasional work based on laptops, the room needs to have sufficient power sockets throughout the room to give the teacher flexibility.”

Flexible Furniture for an Accommodating Atmosphere

One of the best ways to ensure flexibility in the classroom is with flexible furniture. “A clever combination of loose and fitted furniture will ensure a classroom meets future technological demands,” remarks Peter.

“How well space is utilised is crucial to how successful a classroom is as a working area to bring the best out of students. As well as meeting regulations governing the amount of users in a particular area, a classroom must be able to provide good circulation for interaction and collaborative teaching. A crowded, cluttered space does nothing for ease of movement, communication or concentration.”

Indeed, US company Smith System has released the Flavors Noodle desk chair, which lets students tilt left, right, forward, and backward in their seats.

Whilst some critics may dismiss such innovations as nothing more than passing fads, Peter recognises the importance of ergonomics and comfort in the classroom.

“Smith System is addressing a real concern that is based on hard research. Products that address the long term effects caused by uncomfortable furniture are a good thing. Choosing the right furniture, which is designed to encourage good habits such as a healthy posture, has therefore become more important than ever.”

Peter goes on to outline some instances of advanced seating he himself has implemented. “We advocate the use of ergonomically designed stools in our science labs, for instance, because they are designed to inhibit slouching and fidgeting.

“We also favour saw-tooth benching in our ICT spaces because this provides more elbow room for students, and we’ve developed a fixed bench laboratory design which ensures maximum space for students and circulation space for teachers.”

Flexibility should not Forgo Fitted Furniture, however…

Despite the benefits of loose furniture, achieving flexibility doesn’t have to depend upon the eradication of fixtures. “Fixed furniture designs can also be used in various ways if the design works. Science labs, for example, can be designed with hot corners to enable group collaboration, practical and theory work.

“Another great way of meeting these various demands is to create zoned areas to break up a space, which allows quiet areas of study as well as an area for team working.”

In the end, achieving a balance between fixed furniture and that which can be freely moved is paramount for achieving a balanced learning environment.

Common Sensory Learning

The study by the University of Salford mentioned in the last segment also confirmed that sensory input had an impact on a child’s receptiveness to learning. Peter pinpoints several particular areas in which the senses play a part in the learning process. “Variables such as the flexibility of space, storage facilities, use of colour as well as natural light, acoustics, temperature and air quality were revealed to affect a pupil’s learning progress.”

In particular, he sees colour as an important factor. “We often prefer light colours which create a fresh and clean look and invariably provide for a future-proof appearance. Similarly, cool colours are often thought to enhance the ability of students to concentrate.

“Colour must be carefully considered in order to create harmony in the classroom. The right colour scheme can convert the school environment into a stimulating and exciting place.”

Input Breeds Ownership, Breeding Inspiration

If a student feels more attached to their environment, they will be more likely to respond better to it and as a result perform better. One way to achieve this is to incorporate their input, says Peter. “Involving the end-users of the space in the design process is critical. By listening to teachers and students and really understanding their needs, a space can be created which works both on a practical level as well as inspiring and motivating students to learn.

In particular, Peter lists two examples from his experience of how feedback and input had created a better atmosphere. “School councils are also a great way to get students on board. A dining room refurbishment we carried out at a secondary school was heavily influenced by a student council, with students raising funds to finance the project.

“Another example of student ownership is a toilet refurbishment we carried out at a primary school. We based the design around an animal theme, with each toilet cubicle representing a different animal.  Students love the new toilets and even have a favourite “animal cubicle”.

Speaking of bathroom-design innovation, such a private space is also a good area to implement higher security and privacy designs; an idea wholly endorsed by students. “Pupils need to feel comfortable and safe in schools. Toilets are particularly important and privacy is obviously key. That means giving consideration to cubicle partitions and doors, sight lines, eliminating hidden corners and ease of movement.”

Flexibility, Balance, Comfort, Safety

At the end of the day, the school working environment should be one the child relishes occupying and one which keeps them at ease, yet still stimulated and eager to learn. By combining a mixture of innovative design techniques, rearranging traditional classroom spaces and speaking to the students themselves, the potential of the next generation can be met, extended and expanded. As Peter says, “classroom design… needs to be at the forefront of school building design, as it’s the interiors which make a difference to learners and educators.”

Written by Rob Truslove. As an enthusiastic design fan, lover of interiors and writer, Rob contributes to a smorgasbord of varying website blogs on a number of subjects. Rob is a proud father and husband of an ICT specialist, which drives his interest in educational architecture.