#HTE
Perfectly Perforated (try saying that as fast as you can five times in a row) is a celebration of the love affair architects and interior designers (yours truly included) seem to have with the ‘hole’. Get your mind out of the gutter – you know that I mean, right? Today’s story is all about buildings and interiors with holes all over them – but in a good way. In other words, not the sort of holes you defect with red dots, but rather the ones that are very much designed and deliberate, giving buildings their own unique personality and character.
During my time of working in large commercial practices, I seem to recall researching perforations almost weekly – I was working on facade patterns, balustrade details, acoustic ceiling treatments, foyer cladding, atrium panelling – you name it, I did it. Perhaps it’s been this subconscious link to those times that’s made me stash away so many references of perfect perforations, which is what brings us to today’s post.
There’s a lot to love about a humble shape that’s cut out repeatedly, creating large patterns across big scales. So many variations are possible with perforations – overlaying them creates a moorish effect, cutting out thick boards will express the edge of the material which creates a completely different look to when a thin sheet is punctured, etc. Scale, repetition (or deliberate lack there of) and material selections play a huge importance when choosing and designing these types of patterns. I’ve spent many-a-time printing designs on large A0 sheets at 1:1 scale, staring at them across the studio, standing on tables while looking down on sheets of paper placed on floors, sticking them to ceilings and imagining panels installed way up there… So all this madness and angst that came from working with perfect perforations has made me think that perhaps this post might become a pretty god-damn useful tool for those times you need a little kick along for your next project.
And don’t mention it – you’re so welcome. You know I’ve got yo’ back. Always x
See More ‘Stories on Design’ Curated by Yellowtrace.
Janus Museum in Switzerland by mlzd // The ensemble of buildings that make up the Rapperswil-Jona municipal museum looks back on a history of more than 700 years. In 2010/11, the museum underwent extensive renewal. The project to put up the new building has been sensitively integrated in the historic town. The view from the north, which is important for the overall visual impression of the town, was to remain unchanged. The building fits discreetly into the background of the historic context presented by the narrow streets. With the new perforated bronze façade, the building imposes a new emphasis on its immediate surroundings and can easily be read as the main entrance to a modern museum complex.
Photography by Tai Zhang.
Aperture 538 by Luca Andrisani Architect // This 10 unit multi-family residence is located in the neighbourhood of Clinton Hill, Brooklyn on Washington Avenue. Central to the exterior is a copper screen, finished to a corten appearance, perforated with an abstracted image of the Brooklyn Bridge and modified for light and air requirements. The result is a dynamic façade where light filters through, an iconic image of Brooklyn is glimpsed, and activity is visible.
Photography by Fernando Alda.
Fine Arts Museum in Badajoz, Spain by Estudio de Arquitectura Hago // Hundreds of tiny holes puncture the white concrete panels that clad these two extensions to the Badajoz Fine Arts Museum by Spanish firm Estudio Arquitectura Hago. The Madrid-based architects added two blocks – one three storeys tall and the other four – to house the permanent and temporary collections of the art museum.
Photography by Daici Ano.
JIN CO LTD Office Building by Aoki Jun // This three storied office building in the suburbs of Maebashi-city, Japan, consists of the work space and warehouse on the 1st floor, office on the 2nd floor and the conference room and the staff canteen on the 3rd floor. The facade of the 1st and the 2nd floor is covered by the perforated folded plate screen for security and privacy reason. Both the cement exterior board used in the interior and perforated folded plate are painted white, giving the space a unique texture while leaving the texture.
Photography by Åke E:son Lindman.
Moderna Museet Malmö by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter // Stockholm studio Tham & Videgård Arkitekter have completed a museum in Malmö, Sweden, adding an extension clad in perforated orange metal. Called Moderna Museet Malmö, the project involved renovating the existing building and adding a new entrance hall, cafe and upper gallery. The addition of the ‘graffiti’ text element is particularly effective, and creates a gutsy contrast with the adjacent heritage facade.
Photography by Filip Dujardin.
adn Architectures Loft FOR in Brussels // In order to divide the space, the architects designed two double-storey structures which occupy the loft as independent forms, like two pieces of free standing furniture. Privacy is controlled with perforated metal mesh. Given the natural lighting conditions, light passes into the space but the screens simultaneously provide privacy from the more communal living spaces. Clever, unique and an exciting space to be in.
Read the full article about this project & see more images here.
Images courtesy of Lighting Design Collective.
Silo 468 Urban Light Art Installation for City of Helsinki by Lighting Design Collective // In 2011, Madrid-based Lighting Design Collective, lead by Tapio Rosenius, won the 1st prize in an international competition to realise a permanent urban light installation in Helsinki – an official project for Helsinki World Design Capital 2012. The designers converted an old oil silo (no. 468) into a mesmerising light display and a civic space. Natural light, wind and reflections of light on surrounding water formed the principles for the lighting concept. The vast volume of the 36m diameter and 17 meter tall steel silo was perforated with 2012 holes, referencing the year Helsinki was made ‘World Design Capital’. The interior was painted dark red and made accessible to public. This spectacular daytime space is now filled with dappled and dynamic shadows. Amazing.
Read the full article about this project & see more images here.
Photography by Luc Boegly.
Saint Nazaire Theatre by K Architectures // Paris-based K-Architectures have completed the ‘Théâtre of Saint-Nazaire’ in Saint-Nazaire, France, adjacent to remnants of a neoclassical train station destroyed in World War II. The monolithic forms takes cues from a nearby bunker and the concrete surface is stamped with a perforated floral pattern derived from motifs of 17th century silk textiles. The motif continues inside the building and is found throughout the lobby’s perforated railings and walls, and inside the auditorium. In the evening, the exterior facade are rigged with lights so that it emits a calm glow, breaking down the concrete structure’s massive presence.
Photography by Ricardo Gonçalves.
SKIN by P-06 Atelier & JLCG Arquitectos // Reflecting the ever-changing nature of its surroundings, the ‘Skin’ by Lisbon-based studio P-06 atelier in partnership with architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça was designed for a multipurpose room in the pavilion of knowledge, a science museum in Lisbon. Flickering light around the foyer, a perforated wall with acoustic properties and LED lighting is embedded into its fabric. The piece is based on the theme ‘ASCII’ (american standard code for information interchange) and is in response to the museum’s intent of sharing information. The textured wall features different densities and sized cut-outs along its façade, with varying sound levels projected through the openings. a white light shines through into the space, with the ‘skin’ balanced by reflected, natural light.
Photography by Peter Hebeisen.
Clarion Hotel & Congress Trondheim by Space Group Architects // Clarion hotel at Brattøra, Norway redefines the classical atrium hotel typology into a new and strong identity. The rooms are arranged/organised in four highly rational structures all oriented towards the perfect view. The perforated facade is punctured and folded, creating a 3D perforated effect.
Photo by Lyndon Douglas.
Hidden House in London by Teatum+Teatum // Perforated steel doors fold open like the wings of a butterfly at the backstreet entrance to this London house by architects Teatum+Teatum. Named Hidden House, the residence is squeezed between two existing buildings and has a glittering facade of black render and metal filings. The perforated folding metal doors lead into a ground-floor living room and kitchen.
The Old Market Square Stage in Winnipeg, Manitoba by 5468796 Architecture // A perfect cube set at a slight angle to the road at the edge of the Square, the structure is formed from raw concrete enclosed by a wraparound aluminium screen, ingeniously formed from 20,000 hollow aluminium tubes, all of which have been cut and twisted to form a repeat pattern across a flexible façade. Mounted on aircraft cabling, the screen can be drawn back like a futuristic curtain, exposing the interior stage, shifting the pattern of light and changing the acoustic properties of the space.
Photography by Leonardo Finotti.
Leitão 653 by Triptyque // Leitão_653 is a building located in the heart of Pinheiros, Brazil, a popular neighbourhood which combines small traditional buildings and new residential towers. The building stands over seven floors of which two are duplex. Built between high towers on a narrow and long plot (10 x 35 meters), the tower catches a cathedral light through a side wall of glass bricks completely revisited. Blocks sometimes milky, transparent or matt deliver a moucharabié effect that filters the vis-à-vis, the zenith light and the noise, like a silent screen between the city and the building. Although not technically ‘perforated’ I couldn’t resist including this little wonder in today’s selection.
Photo by Hiroyuki Oki.
3×10 House by DD Concept // “3 x 10 House” in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnamese was designed by architecture firm DD Concept. The house presents it’s entire frontage with a perforated skin that creates an effect of lightness while preserving the privacy of it’s occupants. Throughout the day the architecture provides an interplay between light and shadow, offering a durational experience of the passing seasons. The light is also considered as it reflects onto the steel panels from the east in the morning to the side of the staircase located to the west aspect in the afternoon. This consideration of the steel as a metaphor of transparent garments to connect space, helps to delineate between the internal and external border by the use of transparency.
Photo by Nobuki Taoaka.
Company Building in Kanagawa by HMAA // This building designed by HMAA is a corporate HQ for a local wholesale company located in Kanagawa, Japan. The first floor was converted into a storage warehouse, and the second floor was transitioned into a business space. The third floor is an executive room with a conference space. In an effort to preserve privacy, an area was dedicated for a garden covered by a perforated screen.
Image courtesy of 1508 London.
Apartment in Istanbul, Turkey by Studio 1508 London // Situated on the banks of the Bosphorus, in the Istanbul neighbourhood of Bebek, this refurbished duplex penthouse by 1508 London design studio features a minimalist aesthetic and a sense of understated luxury. The design is enriched by a decorative screen in the stairwell, with geometric latticework representing a modern interpretation of an Ottoman Selcuk motif. The repetition of the triangulated pattern introduces a touch of the Orient to an otherwise western aesthetic.
Photo by Per Kårehed.
Cultural Center in Landvetter by Fredblad Arkitekter // Gothenburg-based architects Fredblad Arkitekter have designed a cultural center for the municipality of Härryda, Sweden. The design is the result of a competition held in 2012 for a mixed-use building containing library, educational spaces for music and arts, as well as an auditorium. Brass, stone and perforated plywood feature thought the upper floors, creating a low-key but a polished look. The brass is a special alloy which contains aluminium as well as copper and zinc. This ensures the golden colour will last through the process of metal oxidation.
Photo by Peter Bennetts.
Melbourne School of Design by John Wardle Architects // Following an international design competition John Wardle Architects and Boston based NADAAA were appointed as architects to design the new Melbourne School of Design building for the University of Melbourne. Central to the design is the Studio Hall, a large flexible space that provides for informal occupation over all times of the day. The central meeting pod sitting with the atrium is clad in faceted perforated timber panels creating a dynamic effect.
Photography by Mathieu Ducros.
Nakara Residential Hotel by Jacques Ferrier Architectures // This new hotel and holiday home development extends southwards at the extreme end of the Agde shoreline, France, in an area that is still relatively undeveloped and where individual housing districts predominate. Large openwork walls in white concrete cohesively punctuate the various developments. They function as filters, putting distance between the shared areas – gardens and swimming pool terraces – and the more intimate room area. The dual facade system creates an in-between space, an extra space that is neither part of the building’s interior nor its outside areas. The balconies project into this ambiguous space and give a feeling of being simultaneously inside and outside.
Photo by Leo Espinosa.
Pabellon 3E by TACO Taller de Arquitectura Contextual // Pabellón 3E is the result of an architectural intervention of a satellite edification construction, located inside a residential home from the sixties in one of the first neighbourhoods outside of the historic downtown area in the city of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. In the analysis of the existing building, were identified elements which enable the implementation of a double skin facade which integrates the building and offers thermal comfort, privacy and security. The second skin is a lattice of compressed cement made with discontinued moulds from the sixties.
Photo by Sándor Fövényi.
The Soundweaving Installation by Zsanett Szirmay & Balint Tarkany Kovacs // Hungarian design student Zsanett Szirmay has transferred folk embroidery patterns onto strips for a punched card music box, which plays the traditional motifs as sounds. For her Soundweaving project, Szirmay used a laser-cutting machine to create holes along lengths of fabric, forming patterns that mimic old textile motifs from parts of eastern Europe. The punchcards are forced past the 20 teeth of a comb inside the metal music box using a series of cogwheels and a manual crank. When each tooth is caught and released by a corresponding hole, it creates a different musical note. “Soundweaving adds another dimension to traditional embroidery, activating multiple senses and inspiring visitors to interact since anybody to visit the exhibition can try it for themselves,” says the designer.
Photography by Ryota Atarashi.
Sakura in Tokyo, Japan by Mount Fuji Architects Studio // For my money, this house house in Tokyo is the poster girl for perfect perorations. But that’s just me. Hidden behind two walls of 3 mm thick lace-like steel that filters light like sunshine through foliage, the facade features holes punched out in a floral pattern depicting cherry blossoms, a traditional Ise paper stencil pattern. Simply sublime.
Photo by Cyrille Lallement.
Student Housing & Nursery for Paris by VIB Architecture // On 117 rue de Ménilmontant in one of Paris’s busy northern neighborhoods, VIB Architecture took possession of a long and narrow plot to construct and rehabilitate several buildings for a mixed-use program – a residence with 89 student housing and a nursery for 66 children. The front building is itself fragmented and split in two. The first part stands out along the park with rounded corners and aluminum skin while the second building picks up the geometrical typology of the nearby buildings and declines towards the middle of the plot and the existing building.
Photo by FG+SG.
K House by Studio Arthur Casas // This is just one of those really sexy houses. Located in Sao Paulo, Brazil and designed by Studio Arthur Casas Architects, everything about Casa K’s design is sleek. The client is a stylist and stimulated the architects with the task of coming up with different possibilities to “dress” the house, as a result perforated metal panels with a pattern based in the photograph of a leaf was used. In this way the spaces create an interesting relation with the variations of the sun.
Photography by Xia Zhi, Zhang Lin Han & Wang Ning.
Beijing Hutong House Renovation by ARCHSTUDIO // ARCHSTUDIO has renovated this unassuming house in the city’s Dongcheng District into a modern family residence. The two-storey grey brick house is located in a small hutong — a traditional Chinese alleyway or courtyard shared by several houses and consists of living spaces on the ground floor, two bedrooms on the first floor and a study in the basement.
To maximise the sense of openness, the designers have used grids of vertical wooden slats throughout the building as partitions or screens instead of solid walls allowing daylight circulation, also as sliding doors for the numerous built-in bookcases, and across ceilings as a continuation of the vertical screens and doors. The result is an environment that, despite its strict minimalist approach, is both rich in texture and soothing in its tranquility.
Related Post: Micro-Housing: Hutong Experiments by Standardarchitecture // Beijing, China.
Photography by Fraser Marsden.
Black House by Austin Maynard Architects // With the impending arrival of a baby, the existing apartment needed a radical rethink to resist retreating to the suburbs. A lace-like stair and a mess swallowing floor are just two of the ideas employed to convert this two storey apartment into a family friendly home.
Photography by FG+SG.
Casa Branca by Studio MK27/ Marcio Kogan // The White House project designed by Studio MK27 is located on a beautiful Brazilian beach, on the northern coast of São Paulo. Wooden perforated doors, like large muxarabis, shade the interior without blocking the breeze, blurring the division between interior and exterior. Warm materials are meshed into the metal bases, shading the room on the upper volume. The combination of the wood, concrete and white aluminium pay homage to tropical minimalism, greatly influenced by Brazilian modernism.
Photography by Miguel de Guzmán/Imagen Subliminal.
TMOLO House by PYO Arquitectos // PYO Arquitectos has converted a stone stable block and farmhouse in north-western Spain into a holiday residence for a family with four daughters. Recessed windows and an entrance are concealed behind timber shutters that reference the style of the stable’s original doors. The site has a height difference of two metres between the north and south facade, so the interior layout has a staggered arrangement. Metal pillars take the place of partition walls, resulting in a sequence of connected spaces across the ground floor.
Photography by Tim Van de Velde.
City Library in Bruges, Belgium by Studio Farris Architects // This library extension in the centre of Bruges is covered in sheets of pre-rusted Corten steel, deliberately contrasting the white plasterwork of the original building. To ensure the extension stood out against the pale colouring of the old library – as well as a row of other public buildings including the city’s fire and police stations – the team covered the single-storey structure in sheets of Corten steel, giving it a rich orange colour. Some of the sheets are patterned with small circular indentations and perforations, while others are smooth. The horizontal and vertical panels are fitted together in an interlocking formation that uniformly covers the exterior of the building.
Photography by Fernando Alda.
Habitual Restaurant Valencia by Francesc Rife // Renowned Spanish chef Ricard Camarena teamed up with Francesc Rifé Studio for the fifth time to design a new modern restaurant – Habitual. Using the concept of “local field”, a precise choice of elements including a single material, poplar wood, and the most significant shape in gastronomy, the circle, has been used and implemented throughout the restaurant to create a warm space and to avoid excess. The circular holes in the wall create a unique atmosphere and are reminiscent of a plate, a glass, or a cup of coffee; they are the guidelines to the project.
The circular holes, from a technical point of view, contribute as conductors of sound, merging and creating a unique ambiance for those inside. As an extension of the idea of the circle, the name Habitual has been printed on ceramic plates, while lighting has been integrated into the holes in the ceiling. Finally, the holes range in different sizes from small to large, while it is also possible to store caps of wine bottles in the larger holes that make up a drawn fish figure.
Inbani Stand in Ish Trade Fair 2015 in Frankfurt by Francesc Rife // The team at Frances Rife love their perforations, don’t they? Why wouldn’t they, when the humble repeated circle can successfully transform and texturise an interior of a restaurant (previous project) just like a trade-fare stand for a bathroom company. Seriously, what’s not to love?
Photography by Tim van de Velde.
Incineration Line in Roskilde, Denmark by Erick Van Egeraat // Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat has completed a waste incinerator and power plant in the Danish city of Roskilde with a spotty perforated facade that lights up at night as if there’s a fire burning within. A pattern of differently sized and spaced circular holes was laser cut into the panels and increases in density as it reaches the spire. Lighting concealed behind this layer filters through the holes at night and the light sources can be individually programmed to create shifting patterns of colour.
Photography by Satoshi Asakawa.
Kanazawa Umimirai Library by Coelacanth KH Architects // Around 6000 holes puncture the concrete exterior of this library in Kanazawa, Japan, by Kazumi Kudo and Hiroshi Horiba of Japanese firm Coelacanth K&H Architects. Translucent glass fills each hole, diffusing natural light into the 12 metre-high reading room of the Kanazawa Umimirai Library.
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