Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
In the same spirit as the Finnish architect, Alvar Aalto, John Patku experiments with Birch wood, bending and twisting the subtle material into new curves and shapes, manipulating the medium both with refinement and with avant-garde dexterity.
The new furniture collection is as much poetry as it is subtle evocations of the architecture firm’s design philosophy.
Designed for Nienkämper International Inc., the Twist Chair and Patkau Bench were the recent recipients of Good Design 2020 by The Chicago Athenaeum.
At first glance, the Patkau Twist Chair is a deceptively simple structure.
Using a patented process designed specifically for the chair, two layers of Birch plywood are “twisted” to form the complex curves that gives the shell of the chair its characteristic shape and declarative style.
Due to its minimalistic form, Twist is extremely elegant, resting on stainless steel hairpin legs, creating a chair that is visually light with a strong sense of timeless style.
The chair’s slender steel hairpin legs reinforce a subtly energetic sense of lightness.
Nienkämper’s awarded Patkau Bench, which also rests on stainless steel hairpin legs, is minimally, but thoughtfully detailed and is suited to galleries and cultural spaces as office lobbies.
The two solid wood sections that comprise the bench are contoured to emphasize the natural beauty of wood variations while creating a comfortably sloped seating surface.
Drawing on their award winning and iconic Canadian ice warming huts form his installation in Winnepg, Patkau Architects has designed The Patkau Cocoon.
Its organic form combined with the feeling of natural materials provides an almost poetic and sculptural presence. Each element is made of curved plywood and wood veneer, the interior is Spartan: with a fixed seat and fitted with acoustic panels to provide a quiet space for undisturbed work or conversation.
The Patkau Cocoons are completely unexpected and are a welcome retreat, just what a modern workplace demands.
One screening plaza along Halsted Street. Large ramps flow from the street to an “accessible topography of performances” on the second level, connecting the outdoor and indoor performances spaces, including the concert hall between the towers, and the Phase Two main stage theatre on Halsted Street. Production spaces line Harrison Street on the ground floor.
The center has a translucent, tent-like roof with embedded photovoltaics that stretches from and between the towers, covering the concert hall and the main stage theatre. The colors of the performance space volumes would shine through the translucent areas.
Jackie Koo, founder of KOO, said feedback from the users during a midt erm project review was helpful in guiding their design. She said she was particularly impressed with the “high level” of architectural thinking she found in the work of the other proposals.
“It is a great honor both as an UIC alumna and as an architect practicing in Chicago to be part of such an important cultural project,” Koo said. “We wanted our design to transparently showcase the pedagogy of CADA and how UIC is a school that succeeds at educating future creative leaders while being accessible to all.”
Designers: Patkau Architects, PC.
Manufacturer: Nienkämper International Inc
