JUNE 2021
going green
CONTENTS JUNE 2021
VOLUME 92 NUMBER 6
ON THE COVER For the Citi Wealth Hub, a financial advisory center in Singapore, Ministry of Design conceived a “banking conservatory” of four private meeting pods amid live tropical plants. Photography: Khoogj.
features 102 OUT OF THE BOX by Georgina McWhirter
Various Associates—a Chinese design firm whose star is on the rise—subverts staid department-store conventions for J1M5 Boutique in the eastern port city of Qingdao. 110 BLUE AND GREEN by Raul Barreneche
Casona Sforza, a boutique hotel in Puerto Escondido by Taller de Arquitectura X, treads lightly on the Pacific coastline and supports Indigenous Mexican artisans. 118 HANDS ON by Edie Cohen
NICOLAS MATHÉUS
RMW Architecture & Interiors stitches together a headquarters for robotic medical specialist Intuitive Surgical in California’s Silicon Valley.
126 CABIN FEVER by Peter Webster
From rural retreats and wilderness camps to forest hideaways, small structures that blend seamlessly into the natural landscape are a hot trend in hospitality design.
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136 FIT FOR A KING by Ian Phillips
In the Alsace region, Jouin Manku’s addition to Hôtel Les Haras, part of a centuries-old complex for Louis VIX, treats visitors like royalty. 144 LUSH WITH CASH by Rebecca Dalzell
Ministry of Design merges banking and biophilia at a Citibank wealth-management center in downtown Singapore.
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CONTENTS JUNE 2021
VOLUME 92 NUMBER 6
walkthrough 57 VERNACULAR SPECTACULAR by Matt Shaw
healthcare giants 69 ONWARD AND UPWARD by Mike Zimmerman
departments 21 HEADLINERS 27 DESIGNWIRE by Annie Block 50 BLIPS by Annie Block 54 PINUPS by Wilson Barlow 63 CREATIVE VOICES Sisters in Strength by Edie Cohen
A series of portraits by Rebecca Moses celebrates the fortitude of New York’s female nurses during the pandemic. 83 MARKET by Rebecca Thienes, Georgina McWhirter, and Nicholas Tamarin 97 CENTERFOLD Skeleton Crew by Nicholas Tamarin
Maya Lin’s spectral installation in a New York park is an environmental message for the future. 152 BOOKS by Stanley Abercrombie 154 CONTACTS
COURTESY OF LAYER
159 INTERVENTION by Wilson Barlow
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RESIDENTIAL ST YLE . C O M M E R C I A L C A PA B I L I T I E S .
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e d i t o r ’s welcome It may be a new personal trend, or perhaps just a fluke, but here I go again talking shop from the get-go. I simply can’t contain myself regarding every compelling bit that’s irredeemably for us in the trade. Insert drum roll here. The first batch of 2020 Giants data is in on the efforts of a very exceptional group of colleagues. We are delighted to be the first to report last year’s deeds—and just as important, future projections—from our mighty Healthcare Giants (and thanks to our own exceptional colleagues at ThinkLab who carried out all the research). The big news? It’s plainly about growth. According to an earlier analysis, 2020 was thought to be a retrenchment period, irrespective of the pandemic. Lo and behold, the Giants posted a great increase in fees instead. 2021 promises to stay up there. We have high expectations for the rest of the Giants (one can only hope), but Covid did turn our world upside down, so it’s anticipated some effects will leave us wanting. Let’s stay tuned as we rebuild. Yet, what better way to start our eminent June design record? Particularly because, once again, we came through with a pool of talent for the ages. Taller de Arquitectura X goes local, and sustainable, with a jaw-dropping beachfront hotel beauty made even more special by enlisting the help of Yucatán artisans. A wealth-management center gets gorgeous and green —as in biophilia —in Singapore thanks to Ministry of Design. And healthcare goes robotic (and less invasive) at a new Silicon Valley headquarters executed by RMW’s deft hand. From sustainability to technology and everything in between, design is shaping our tomorrow, and my team and I are honored to continue sharing all these advancements with you. xoxo
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JUNE.21
INTERIOR DESIGN
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