Richmond Place House / Boyd Cody Architects

Via @ArchDaily, The house is located in a conservation area close to Dublin’s city centre, on a small but prominent infill corner site at the junction between Mountpleasant Avenue and Richmond Place. The house is located in a conservation area close to Dublin’s city centre, on a small but prominent infill corner site at the junction between Mountpleasant Avenue and Richmond Place. A modest dwelling built to replace the existing cottage located on the site. The accommodation consists of 2no. bedrooms, 2no. bathrooms, kitchen, utility and living / dining area set over three separate levels. At two stories the house remains substantially in character with the nearby terrace of houses and forms a low book-end building to Richmond Place, while making a strong contextual response to both the unusual site configuration and the prevailing architectural context, in particular the gable end of the house immediately opposite on Mountpleasant Square. Approximately triangular in shape and with a pronounced curve along Richmond Place, the house adopts the site boundary line along its north and south elevations and aligns with the adjacent terrace to the east and west. The resultant form is carved twice to make two compressed entrance spaces one to the front and a smaller one at the rear. In order to maintain the low-lying nature of the block fronting to Richmond Place, the living room is sunk 750mm into the ground, following the natural fall across the site.

Pio Restaurant / Sebastian Marsical Studio

Via @archdaily the discovery of a finely crafted wooden box set into an existing building on 10th Ave. immediately defines the initial intentions of this design: mystery, discovery, and contradiction. The visitor enters this rustic wooden box and is removed from the noisy Manhattan streets. An exquisite marble host-table floats within the space enclosed in reclaimed wood. However, this is only a glimpse of what exists beyond. The limited view increases the tension and desire for exploration. In the following space, a sparkling brass vestibule glows within a second wooden box.

This stimulating entry leads to a 40-foot, monolithic marble bar resting on a distressed concrete floor. The bar also defines the long corridor towards another space at the end of the restaurant, set at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Here the lights dim and one finds oneself contained in a volume woven entirely in Ocotillo canes. A series of concrete forms simultaneously enclose this main dining hall and integrate it with the various res- taurant services. Once inside, the experience is no longer defined by the relationship of the restaurant with New York City; here the magic belongs to a fantastical experience that is characteristic of Latin America.

Altis Belem Hotel by Risco Architects

Via @Contemporist, Altis Belém Hotel by RISCO Architects

The Bom Sucesso Hotel is situated in Belém, on the waterfront to the east of the Bom Sucesso Dock and opposite the Belém Cultural Centre. It is a 5-star hotel with 50 rooms and a number of facilities intended to support water sports.

The main structure, which has two floors, lies perpendicular to the Tagus in such a way as to make best use of the views across the city and the estuary. It is also designed not to constitute a visual obstacle along the axis between the Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries. The hotel is also composed of a rectangular platform, which incorporates the restaurant and creates a “pocket” designed to increase guest privacy. There is an open green space above the platform. A very narrow structure, which sits between the hotel and the restaurant and connects them, possesses a strong identity of its own that is related to the look of the nearby Museum of Popular Art.

BIT Bogstadveien - Scenario

BIT Bogstadveien - Scenario

BIT-chain has been well known for a long time in Oslo for their delicious sandwiches and calzone, as well as for a cool industrial open kitchen interior design that the owner did himself.

But during the past year, BIT decided that they want a new identity that would be more friendly and welcoming. Together with an advertisement company Dinamo we developed a modern version of the classic European bistro. We had a focus on English and French bistros and tried to make a new fusion version for Oslo’s inhabitants- Norwegian bistro. All items of graphical profiling, furniture and details are built under this concept.

Before BIT moved to Bogstadveien, a bookstore Norli had a cafe place at the same location. The existing ceiling and lighting were kept, but the lighting concept was upgraded with the ass lamps of British designer Tom Dixon. To create a homelike atmosphere, we designed two large couches – one with a high back so that people can sit for a long time, and another one without back – for people just waiting for the food they have ordered. This sofas were made by the local producer Buskerud Trevare AS.

To emphasize British influence we chose the textiles of the British designer Paul Smith for sofas. The employees, who work at BIT,are an important part of the new visual concept and for them we oredered the aprons of the same fabric as the sofas.

Paul Smith was a great inspiration for the interior, therefore colors that have been chosen for interior – red, dark gray, light green, black are selected by studying his fabrics.

In the kitchen we are using classic French bistro tiles, while the walls in the customer area is covered with photo wallpapers with a painting of a hunting picture.The original of the picture “Ruffnecked Grouse” ( Oil on canvas, size: 24×36 inches, 1971 ) by Peter Darro was bought by the BIT owner at RoGalleery NYC/ 2009. This painting is used for the packaging design as well.

Architects: AS Scenario Interiørarkitekter MNIL

Location: Bogstadveien 48, Oslo, Norway

Project Responsible: Linda Steen, Interior Architect MNIL

Project Lead Designer: Vesma Kontere McQuillan, Dipl. Architect/ Interior Architect MA

Project Assistant Designer: Nichlas Hoel, Interior Architect

Collaboration Partners: Dinamo AS, graphic designer Axel Hartvig-Larsen

Building company: Jos Eiendom AS

Customer: BIT Norge As

Project Area: 150 sqm

Project Year: 2009

Photographs: Gatis Rozenfelds, F64 SIA( Latvia)