Freestanding TEO Center for Culture, Art and Content Israel by A.Lerman Architects
In a beachside residential area of Herzliya in Isreal, TEO (the Theodor Herzl Center for culture, art, and content) designed by A.Lerman Architects comes into view as a distinct single-story building, eminently lower than the neighbourhood’s enclosed private mansions. The freestanding TEO opens up a wide panorama toward the west—the horizon over the ocean—thus rupturing the visual and social narrative of walled luxury villas this area of Herzliya is known for. The insertion of a fully exposed public cultural centre as an event in the surrounding urbanscape was key to the design strategy.
TEO provides a unique functional facility to the city’s art-practicing and culture-seeking residents. The plan is designed within a 50 by 50 m2 around an offset central patio surrounded by the various programs: a music conservatory, a dance school, art and ceramics studios, a gallery, a senior recreation centre, and a cafeteria. An upper partial floor houses a library complemented by a 300 m2 open deck.
The uniqueness of the design lies in the coherence of a precise geometric module that is strictly enforced throughout; Concrete (on-site casts & precast units), textured glass, and metal flow seamlessly from exterior to interior surfaces. Cutting-edge sealing techniques were used to protect the building from the rain while maintaining its flat roof silhouette and tight proportions.
The patio makes available a space of quiet and welcoming scale. The floated, draining floor provides a pleasing horizontal surface from which a single mature oak tree rises. Direct sunlight from above dynamically projects its presence across the patio’s surfaces, creating ever-changing visual compositions of organic against geometrical form.
Photo credit: Nimrod Levy
Check out this resin kitchen island by Wood Culture
Wood Culture has announced its latest bespoke project for one of its customers. Created in collaboration with local artist Chandni, Wood Culture have constructed a unique resin kitchen island that resembles a beach setting. Taking inspiration from Bora Bora, the brief was to bring a piece of nature into the interiors of the client’s home and transport all who come into its presence straight to the beach.
Taking five weeks from brief to inception, artist Chandni captured the design in three weeks following a two-week creation process from the team at Wood Culture. The procedure included underpainting by the artist followed by layers and layers of resin placed in synchronising colours over the coming days. The tabletop was then transferred to the Wood Culture workshop for final resin moulding followed by sanding before the finished masterpiece was ready to be sent to its new home in Dubai.
Chandni commented: “The client had a clear vision and after consulting with them, I created a sketch and a mini example to move forward with the actual kitchen island which was 200cmX135cm in size.”
Jacob George, founder at Wood Culture, said: “This is the first resin kitchen island Wood Culture has fashioned at this scale; however, we aim to produce more commissions for this collection for other clients with resin artists in the future. We love to work with local talent in the region and can’t wait to continue these sort of collaborations as our business grows.”
Jotun launches new exterior colour collection inspired by the Arab culture
Jotun embraces the legacy and culture of the Arab world with the launch of their new exterior colour collection. Inspired by the Arab world, this newest collection ‘One Colour’ encompasses four main colour themes Heritage, Nostalgia, Tomorrow, and Somewhere.
Exterior Colour Collection, is creatively influenced by the region that is a treasure trove of inspiration to the world. It captures the four multi-coloured facets of lives in the Middle East tailored for the exterior walls of homes, combining luxury and superior quality.
Rana Khadra, colour and creative manager at Jotun Middle East, India and Africa said: “The exterior colour collection is inspired by our lands, our people, our food, and our beautiful history. It is a reflection of the warmth and hospitality that play a very important role in the lives of every Arab and we at Jotun have been inspired by these pillars in the creation of our collection. Inspired by the Arab World, for the Arab World.”
“The palette is a proud expression of the personalities and lives from the region. It is based on warm, inspiring, earthy and welcoming hues that bring what is on the inside to the outdoors,” she concluded.
Wood Culture launches its e-commerce platform
Handmade in Dubai for modern living, Wood Culture announced the arrival of their first e-commerce platform, offering their wooden and rattan furniture, artwork and home décor to the people of the UAE. Providing unrefined woods for refined spaces, Wood Culture combines the traditions of rustic wood furnishings with a contemporary aesthetic and eclectic design. The collection offers authentic pieces fabricated by hand in Dubai by skilled craftsmen, each offering many years of experience in their trade. Giving you the option to design your own pieces or choose from the extensive collection available on the new website, at Wood Culture you will find unique pieces for sitting in, eating on, resting by and living in.
The website has been split into six distinct sections: new arrivals, furniture, home decors, arts and prints, quarantine lounging and made in Dubai. Whilst the furniture section showcases a selection of chairs, tables, wardrobes, baby bassinets and consoles, the home décor highlights Wood Culture’s baskets, planters, wall hangings and mirrors. Meanwhile, arts and prints focus on the work of Julian Castaldi, a British artist and photographer based in Dubai and quarantine lounging emphases furniture perfect for relaxing during the lockdown.
A company created through an amalgamation of passions surrounding travel, creativity and a love for natural materials, Wood Culture was born out of the founder’s deep love, experience and appreciation of the timber industry. Backed by a constant need to pursue and expand beyond boundaries, the team ignited the ideology and launched the company in Dubai in October 2019. The journey started by creating upcycled furniture using scrap wood like pine and spruce. With word of mouth being the wonderful medium that it is, Wood Culture slowly transferred their production skills towards more exotic lumber from around the world which in hand, attracted a more bespoke clientele.
Travel, being an integral part of the Wood Culture DNA, has enabled the company to expand beyond their local production in UAE and also collaborate with artisans in the Far East and South America. They are one of the few brands in the region to be involved in underwater logging done in an ethical fashion and also the only company to specialise in epoxy resin tables, hybrid furniture made out of wooden planks with resin in between.
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