In the annus horribilis of Covid-19, the world of design has not stood still. Designers and developers have spent their respective lockdowns by continuing to draw, refine and construct, in spite of the inevitable limitations. Like an undercurrent, the machine of architecture and interior design has never interrupted its creative process. But their projects have naturally, inevitably experienced delays.
The world of projects presented in this tenth edition of the Wonder Book bears witness to increasingly sophisticated research on forms, and to courageous architecture that now proposes veritable monuments inserted in the landscape, to generate breathtaking skylines. Not just in terms of the height of buildings: the three premium projects in this edition – Armani Residences, Solaz Los Cabos and The Prestige – are very different from one another, but they share characteristics of careful insertion in their respective territories, with the ability to generate thrilling landscapes.
This Wonder Book presents a harmonious zigzag voyage through sites and interiors at all latitudes, in which the theory of attraction of opposites seems to apply: from the innovative Ace Hotel in Kyoto to the HQ of Karl Lagerfeld, by way of the prize-winning – and captivating – Casa Bures, the most remarkable co-working project of 2020. Asia Pacific, as usual, is the area that makes this edition memorable: the visionaries of Wutopia Lab with their Sinan Books Poetry Store, the example of holism and socializing Made in Japan presented by Yoshitaka Nojiri and Mount Fuji Architects with the Trunk Hotel in Tokyo. West meets East sums up the approach that André Fu has applied in the K11 Artus in Hong Kong, while the wabi-sabi philosophy is explained through the Ensue restaurant in Shenzhen. Three voices have been called in to express themselves in this edition, three designers with ‘stateless’ careers that have led them to make many trips around the world: Elizabeth Lowrey of Elkus Manfredi, Alon Baranowitz and Irene Kronenberg, Koichi Takada. Three visions of architecture and interior design, stemming from studies, travels and passions.
Happy viewing!
