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In our latest issue, available from 4 September, we consider the design and architecture that makes a city come to life, from landscaping to outdoor furniture As we sent this issue to print, the Icon team was gearing up for a month of design activity in London. September erupts with the London Design Festival (you’ll find our highlights in the magazine), and in this issue we speak to a few people who’ll be making a cameo: Yves Béhar, Melkan Gürsel Tabanlioglu, Ilse Crawford, Punkt. and Simon Glynn of branding agency Lippincott. We’re expecting to see some excellent new products, hear some challenging new ideas, and (of course) attend a few memorable parties. But there’s more that brings a city to life than a major event. So, for this issue, we reflect on some of the things, people and places that define our urban environment. Tim Abrahams looks at how future-focused companies (and architects) are building long, stretched-out HQs rather than skyscrapers. Why? The opportunity for more green space (on roofs, and around them), and more spaces to mingle and share ideas. And that’s exactly what Diana Balmori has attempted with her landscape-first masterplan in Sejong. We interview the New York-based urban designer about why her linear, rooftop park – almost too popular a solution in her adopted hometown of NY – has been a challenge in Korea’s newest city. We also swing through Helsinki for a look at its suburbs, as the Finnish capital searches for solutions to reinvigorate them. Plus, we admire good public space in Paris and Lisbon, by way of their street furniture. This has come to be a symbol of urban life in each of these cities: both have fallen in love with a singular design, helping to give their parks and squares a distinct sense of place – not unnoticed by other capitals, who are finding their own. An icon can go a long way. Icon 148: Cities is available from Friday, 4 September |
Words David Michon
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IN THIS ISSUE Moreau Kusunoki The unknown duo designing a Guggenheim A bit on the side Why future-focused architecture isn’t scraping skies Bright ideas Getting inspired by concrete, plastic and wood Diana Balmori The shrub-and-tree method of bringing life to South Korea’s newest city Hot in Helsinki Crystal Bennes updates us on the city’s suburban architecture scene Sidewalk seating The cities that love street furniture, and why one design can go a long way Movable type Field Studio’s mission to make sure designers, not coders, rule digital typography Yves Béhar The founder of Fuseproject on why there can be only one San Francisco Shipping out IFJ Holdings makes sure that Japan’s crafts don’t die, and that the world buys in Sunny disposition Downtown LA rules the roost when it comes to attracting young, entrepreneurial designers Shelf life About to break ground on a bigger, better HQ, we learn how Vitsœ has built a business on selling less Press play Isabel + Helen turn buildings into playtime fun in a photo series commissioned by Icon PLUS Ilse Crawford’s Hong Kong airport lounge, Zaha Hadid in the Dolomites, Chicago introduces America to architecture biennials, commerce meets culture in Chengdu, and crowd-sourcing infrastructure in Rotterdam Rethink Imagining a pension fund for criminals |
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