May 23rd, 2013 – Until recently, the Adastra Superyacht was merely a concept, with early renderings of the yacht generated numerous ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaaaahs’ from boat enthusiasts across globe. Last year the Adastra got its toes wet for the first time in Hong Kong, and has now taken the prize for ‘Most Innovative Design’ at the 2013 World Superyacht Awards. Designed by UK based yacht-maker John Shuttleworth, the trimaran is the second largest of its kind and can be controlled by an iPad from miles away from the actual vessel. Hong Kong-based shipping industry billionaire Anto Marden first commissioned construction of the Adastra five years ago. The finished product is worth $15 million, and will likely be used by Marden and his wife Elaine to sail between two islands that they own off the coast of Indonesia.

Adastra is the result of meticulous attention to detail and innovative design to create a yacht that meets the needs of a very experienced ocean voyaging couple and their family, and to provide the level of comfort and style expected in a yacht of this class and size. No effort has been spared in the challenge to produce a beautiful yacht that has exceptionally low fuel consumption and yet provides excellent sea keeping qualities and luxurious accommodation.

Measurements taken during the sea trials show that her fuel consumption at 10.5 knots is as low as 17 liters per hour when carrying 10% fuel and water. At cruising load (20 tonnes fuel and water) she uses just 25 litres per hour therefore on delivery trips her range is 10,000 miles starting with 30,000 liters of fuel.

The slender hulls and streamlined exterior allow the Adastra to travel faster in the open ocean and at 17 knots she has a 4,000 mile range so can comfortably cross both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at hi-speed.

The challenge of turning this concept into a viable luxury yacht has led Shuttleworth to further research and develop new thinking on stability and comfort at sea for this type of craft. Extensive tank testing and radio controlled model tests in waves have been carried out to analyze stability and performance. Outrigger height has been optimized for ease of motion at sea, and a new outrigger shape has been developed to increase stability in waves.

Shuttleworth and his building team have undertaken state of the art structural analysis of all the major components in the yacht in order to achieve the light weight required for very low fuel consumption. The deck and superstructure is constructed from carbon fiber with Nomex honeycomb core, the hull is glass/Kevlar foam sandwich and the interior is light weight oak cabinetry using honeycomb panels. To help reduce weight further, virtually every aspect of the boat is custom built. This includes carbon fiber hatches, toilets, port lights and ladders, which are all built specifically for the vessel.

     Photography By John Shuttleworth

May 22nd, 2013 – Swedish born industrial designer Victor Johansson’s new Ceramic Stereo seamlessly merges the physical and digital to create interactions with improved sensory richness. Using the Ceramic Stereo is simple; connect your smartphone device via bluetooth, place your phone on the wooden center, then move your phone towards a specific edge of the speaker where the phone will detect a command (play, pause, radio, etc.).

Johansson constructed the Ceramic Stereo during his final year at London’s prestigious Central St. Martins University, to illustrate a cohesive way of human interaction with digital design.

“The Ceramic Stereo is one of three outcomes from my degree-project at Central St. Martins. This means that there is about 6-months worth of research and design work preceding the concept,” Johansson explained. While building the Ceramic Stereo, the designer seemed to breeze through the technicalities of constructing the device, but molding the ceramic was a different story. “What took the longest was to create the ceramic bowl itself, I had no prior knowledge to working with ceramic so this was quite a challenge, luckily the amazing technicians at CSM helped me.”

“The interaction-design paradigm of the moment is being centered around swiping our fingertips on glass. May it be phones, tablets, computers, in-car systems, or even refrigerators.” Johansson wanted to reach further, and create objects that humans can interact with in a less tangible way, such as voice commands and waiving your hands in the air.

More tangible options do exist. These options often offer more natural interactions with greater tolerances and error margins and that stimulate a wider range of human abilities than it’s screen counterpart. However, more often than not these tangible interfaces end up having very few functions and limited in terms of adaptation and customization. The Ceramic Stereo is Johansson first stab at creating an interactive product containing user friendly commands that act upon movement.

April 21st 2013 – There is something about a body of water, small or large, that instinctively beckons for our bodies to jump in. Most of us start as splashers, but over time we grow to be relaxers, making a hotel pool an essential tool for any mind-mellowing getaway. We went ahead and hunted down the coolest and most current hotel pools around the globe so you can make and educated decision about the future of your next swan dive. 

Normally when you think of tropical hotels, palm leaf ceilings, shabby-chic wood huts, or bamboo constructed walls come to mind, but the Cassa De La Flora is Khoa Lak’s first modernist hideaway. VaSlab Architecture took a risk when they started going down a different path and designed cutting edge architecture and it mixed with stunning tropical landscaping.  Not only does each villa have it’s own private pool here, a large pool is sits snug on the rooftop and stairs directly into the turquoise waters.

The Monastero Santa Rosa Hotel & Spa is located between Positano and Amalfi is a historic Monastery fully transformed into a boutique hotel. The hotel is considered to be one of only 39 castle hotels in all of Italy, originally converted from a monastery into a hotel in 1924 where it was run for three generations by Roman hotelier Mr. Marcucci. The Santa Rosa is filled with four levels of gardens, an infinity pool, and views of the Gulf of Salerno right in it’s backyard.

Singapore-based Guz Architects are well known for creating bona fide tropical fortresses’ throughout southeast Asia. The firms latest project comes in the form of Coco Privé, a secluded resort on the Kuda Hithi Island in the Maldives. On the island, Guz Wilkinson, founder and principal architect at Guz Architects, designed on master residence, the Palm Residence, and five other private villas. The architecture reflects the natural charms of its surroundings, an elegant blend of modern and natural materials, where craft and attention to detail combine to achieve a spacious, elegant and intimate haven.

 Cue Villa Egerton, one of the French Riviera’s most iconic villa estates. For the last century the villa has remained a fiercely-guarded secret summer residence, historically frequented by the world’s glitterati. But six years and several million euros later, the restored property is being brought to the rental market, billed as the Côte d’Azur’s most desirable holiday retreat. The villa now boasts one of the largest outdoor entertaining spaces in the region, complete with heated swimming pool, hot tub Jacuzzi, outdoor cooking and dining facilities, and a pool terrace bar. The existing mature trees were retained throughout the property, to protect the privacy of guests.

Grace Santorini is an exclusive boutique hotel located in the beautiful setting of Imerovigli in the northwest of the island, high above the Caldera, the Grace Santorini is the perfect vantage point from which to view the famed Santorini sunsets that envelop. This photograph is the view from the personal plunge pool in their honeymoon suite, but the hotel also offers guests access to a few other supremely stunning pools overlooking the ocean.

We’ve been keeping a close eye on Singaore’s PARKROYAL on Pickering ever since WOHA Architects released their architectural renderings of a lush four-story hotel full of tall sky-gardens, reflecting pools, waterfalls, planter terraces and cascading vertical greenery, a few years back. Recently completed, the hotel’s greenery flourishes throughout the entire complex, and the trees and gardens of the hotel appears to merge with those of the adjoining park as one continuous sweep of urban parkland. Massive curvaceous sky-gardens, draped with tropical plants and supporting swathes of frangipani and palm trees, are cantilevered at every fourth level between the blocks of guest rooms.

Situated amid the pristine scenery of the Swiss Alps, and with stunning mountain views in every direction, The Cambrian offers the kind of location that tense desk huggers all over the world over spend their days dreaming about. Designed by Peter Silling & Associates, the establishment Includes heated indoor and outdoor swimming pools, the hotel offers a lifted experience, amongst the Swiss mountain tops.

Off the northeast coast of Taveuni lies this tiny private island hideaway, Laucala Island Resort, where they capture the best tropical ambiance, the beauty of the scenery, and the exotic flavours of Fiji. In this world you can find the ultimate in luxury, romance, privacy and seclusion. The property has a series of lagoon like pools mixed with modern architectural elements, like rectangular pools with see-through glass sides. 

We could not make this list without including the rooftop pool at Singapore’s Marina Sands Bay. The super structure, which was designed by Moshe Safdie is the world’s most expensive standalone casino property, with a budget of a staggering $6 billion. Towering over Singapore is the infinity pool that stretches the length of the elongated pod-like structure at the top of the building.

Six Senses Yao Noi was built on the site of a former rubber plantation. Many of the rubber trees were kept to create shade from the sun as well as keeping soil from eroding. In addition, the landscape and gardens have been improved with the philosophy of re-generating the tropical flora as it would have been if the area was left untouched.  Enjoy wonderful panoramic ocean views from this villa, with a private pool and terrace for lounging and alfresco dining. There is a separate bedroom, a bathroom with outside shower and a sitting room.

Velassaru Maldives is a distinct Maldives Island hotel inspired by local architecture. Minimal chic revealed in teak, stone, thatch. Simple colour tones with a dash of bright green, vivid turquoise, refreshing yellow. Four premium Maldives water villas come with your own infinity pool overlooking the turquoise ocean. Sun-bathe in utter privacy. Warm natural light caressing your skin. Slipping into the shade for a nap. Indulge in a long, relaxing bath in the free-standing tub at our exclusive water villas in Maldives.

Nestled into the Santorini mountainside, along the main thoroughfare of central Oia, sits Katikies Hotel. The luxury boutique hotel, which has been one of the hottest places to vacation in the village, has recently been renovated. The new contemporary decor mixed with the preserved Aegean architecture  gives Katikie visitors the best of both worlds.  The hotel blends fantastical landscape with endless stairs and a jaw dropping infinity pool tucked into the white mountain.

The Viceroy Bali, a villa resort in Ubud with 5-star hotel service, consists of 25 luxury pool villas. It is majestically standing in Bali’s “Valley of the Kings”, a name given by locals for the generations of Balinese royalty who resided in nearby villages. The photograph above was taken at dawn over the hotel’s Lembah Spa.

April 21st 2013 – Nothing woos over prospective condominium buyers quite like a supremely zen-like sales center. Designers Elaine Cecconi and Anna Simone, founders of creative firm Cecconi Simone Inc., designed a park-like setting indoors for the sales center at Toronto’s new Monde Condominiums.

Monde Condos is a new condominium project from the global development giants at Great Gulf. The project is currently in construction on Lower Sherbourne St in Toronto, but Cecconi and Simone polished off the sales center first. The center makes use of evocative materiality that encompasses stone, concrete, wood and plantings.

The ground plane is redefined by a “stream” of crushed glass; the ceiling re-imagined with starry formations of LED pin lights. Benches and cantilevered ledges in privileged corners offer moments of rest and contemplation.

The nature infused interior design of the 4,000 square foot sales center was inspired by Monde’s local East Bayfront, as it contains emerging potential for a thriving waterfront community.

With the utmost respect for nature, Monde is a man-made homage to the timeless elegance of the outdoors. This earthy philosophy is what led leading architect Moshe Safdie  to pursue LEED Gold certification for the building.

Photography by Ben Rahn / A-Frame Inc.

May 18th 2013 – We don’t often write about food on KNSTRCT, but this is not a subject about food. This is about innovation. Last Friday New York based Chef Dominique Ansel debuted a tasty new invention: the CRONUT, a delightful croissant x doughnut hybrid. No need to go any further, really, that should be enough to make you hop down to the Soho bakery and pick up a dozen. Oh, but that might be hard for New Yorkers, as the bakery has been selling out by 9:30am each morning since opening day.

Each of the gooey CRONUTS consists of a specialty croissant dough that has been proofed, then fried. To flavor, the CRONUTS are first tossed in sugar, and then filled with Tahitian vanilla ganache, and finally finished with a rose glaze and crystallized rose petals.

Needless to say, once word hit the streets about Ansel’s CRONUTS, tenacious Manhattanites poured into the bakery to be the first to get a taste. Unknowing of the hybrid’s success, Ansel only debuted 50 CRONUTS on Friday morning. With lines of people streaming out the doors of the shop, all sold out within 20 minutes. The CRONUT mayhem has since been in a critical state.

Ansel rose to fame in New York City, where he served as the Executive Pastry Chef for Restaurant Daniel under celebrity chef Daniel Boulud. Before New York City became his home, and Boulud became his mentor, Ansel picked up the art of pasty making in his hometown of Paris from his father.

Since then, Ansel has been named one of the “Top 10 Pastry Chefs in the United States” by Dessert Professional Magazine in 2009. In 2010, Dominique was chosen by Time Out New York as one of the city’s “Top Ten Pastry Chefs You Need to Know”. No need to fret New Yorkers, we hear that Ansel and his team are now working all night to bake you extra loads of CRONUTS.

 Photography By Thomas Schauer & Dominique Ansel Bakery

May 16th 2013 – Parisian retailer Annie Aime has moved west, setting up shop on the bustling streets of Toronto. Local designer John Tong, principal of Toronto-based creative firm +tongtong, spearheaded the design of the shop, creating an eye-twisting space that is bold, flexible, and an open-concept environment that can easily be transformed into a space for scheduled art openings and other Annie Aime events. 

Tong outfitted the 800 sq. ft. space with stark white walls and oak wood flooring, which became the canvas for graffiti artist Pascal Paquette to create an “organic, almost spontaneous” graffiti mural. “It’s quite active. It’s dynamic. It’s textural,” says Tong.

The geometric display units, constructed of welded steel, are weighted so that they securely lean against the wall and can be easily moved throughout the shop with no fasteners required. “They’re layered into a space that is very animated,” says principal John Tong. “Bold colors and architectural expression were needed to really capture Annie’s personality. I got this from the very first time we met when she described her passion for what she does and the fashion she searches out for her clients.”

Tong also developed a low-lying stepped brick display unit down the center of the shop, as well as a floor-to-ceiling brick and wood shelving unit at the rear. “It gives the space a grounding with out being precious,” says Tong. “It brings a tactility and materiality to the space, which is otherwise made up of drywall, paint and steel.”

Tong visualizes the juxtaposition of the geometric racks layered over the fluid, almost malleable, graffiti as a built environment which also reflects the vibrant spirit of the labels she carries. The artistic design of the shop parallels the feminine, floral pieces as well as bold, architectural offerings from collections of Veeshoo, frrry, Outclass, Helene Clément, Prêt pour partir, Saint-James and Saisei. “Creating a space where Annie felt she could express herself, play and offer the treasures from her explorations and journeys to her guests has been a joy.”

Photography By Ben Rahn of A-Frame

May 16th 2013 - São Paulo’s Fazenda Boa Vista development is a massive 1,800 acre residential and hospitality complex rolling with perfectly trimmed hills, deep blue lakes, and untouched landscapes. The property features an array of amenities such a clubhouses, an equestrian center, golf course, tennis courts, five star hotel, and a spa. Also within the complex is a collective of newly built residences designed by Brazil’s architectural headliners, Isay Weinfeld, Arthur Casas, and Paulo Jacobsen and Bernardo Jacobsen of Jacobsen Arquitetura.

Jacobsen’s new MDT house is in the well designed company of Fazenda Boa Vista’s newly built residences. The home is sectioned into three rectangular volumes that are juxtaposed together to create three full patios, a gourmet kitchen, home theater, large entertaining areas, a kids room, library, and a swimming pool.

The outside of the MDT home is outfitted with a stone wall covered in vertical wood panels ranging in hues of brown, orange, and yellow. The stone and wood wall constitutes most of the exterior walls, except for the areas that overlook the pool and courtyard. Here, the bedroom suites fit straight into one of the rectangular volume, each bedroom has a glass wall so guests have a view of the swimming pool through the wood panels.

One feature not to be missed is the large wood covered patio that overlooks the pool. On the patio, modern furniture pieces create unique conversation areas, and the gourmet kitchen is only steps away to feed the need for serving and entertaining.

The architects took a topographical approach to develop to sculpt the land of the MDT House. Variations in floor and ceiling create different ceiling heights and different relationships with the garden,
sometimes enabling direct access to the gardens and pool.

     Photography by Leonardo Finotti

May 15th, 2013 – It’s about time. The past fifty years have been dominated by large clunky headphones that don’t cater to female form. Somebody needed to solve this acoustical travesty, and that somebody is Sweden-based industrial designer Maria von Euler, founder of the female-friendly headphone company Molami. Von Euler combined quality audio with avant-garde design, incorporating a function meets fashion ideal with their latest Twine Headpiece – headphones truly designed with the contemporary individual in mind.

Twine is a soft headpiece made of silk-satin and chiffon blends that comfortably wraps around your head with 18K gold accent pieces – giving you a unique listening experience. The headphones are designed from a fashion standpoint, worn as a selected accessory and tailored for the style savvy individual. Von Euler has meticulous attention to detail that can be seen in each pair of Molami headphones – from the tailored silhouette of each model down to the braided textile-wrapped cords and discreet accents plated in gold and silver.

      Photography By Molami

May 14th, 2013 – Nestled among the forested hills of the Serra dos Órgãos is Petrópolis, also known as The Imperial City of Brazil. Petrópolis is a popular summer holiday spot amongst the locals of Rio de Janeiro, a perfect place for the clients of Jacobsen Arquitetura to build a new holiday home to have a place to spend their weekends and holidays with family and friends. Because the couple planned on filling the house with frequent visitors, it was necessary for Paulo Jacobsen and Bernardo Jacobsen, founding architects of Jacobsen Arquitetura, create a program cautiously thought to create the perfect wellness and relaxation center.

Perhaps the title of JN House is a bit too modest of a mantra. Many might refer to this build more of an estate than a “home”, as the property features a main house, spa, swimming pool, pond, dog’s room, tennis court, leisure pavilion, hydro massage room, gym, small warehouse,  garage, office, home theater – to name a few.

The architects took a topographical approach to develop to sculpt the land of what was to become the JN House. One concept behind the structure was to integrate architecture with nature, the elements that create the house were often hidden in the natural unevenness of the site, so there is mimicking with the land.

Consequently, the construction was distributed through the land, being basically a single story house characterized by different independent blocks. Concrete structures and garden slabs bind into the topography and others subtly stand out through a mesh of wood in the landscape, created through a succession of structural frames.

The access to the house is through a paved pathway leading to a suspended volume. This creates a front porch with a stunning view of the rocky mountains in the background. From a central core of the main house, you will find implanted on the land the SPA located by the pool, the children’s house, leisure pavilion with a tennis court and further away from the house the maids’ quarters.

The main house has a linear floor plan. On the ground floor of this construction are the living and dining rooms, lavatory, pantry, four guest suites and a deck. The deck faces the pool and spa. The guest suites have bladed louvered panels closing. In the inferior part of the house is the garage, office, lavatory, service area and a home theater.

The garden slabs form a ceiling for some blocks of the house, so indoor comfort is maintained for visitors. The fireplace and interior gardens help regulate the temperature. The existence of large glass panels and skylights lets in natural light.

The house generates different atmospheres depending on the brightness. By day the porticos create a game of exciting lights and shadow and at night the lights make the room cozy.

Leonardo Finotti Architectural Photographer