Grrr...

Motorbikes should leave me cold. Especially one with all its engineering on display. So why am I suddenly feeling all animal and hoping I look good in leather, wonders SpaceTM's Mark...

Because of the P120 Combat Edition Fighter, designed by Confederate. Obviously the fact it's built out of aircraft grade aluminium helps. If it had airbrushed flames curling around a 70's Heavy Metal band's logo then it would be a different story. Even so, should a minimalist really be turned on by the mass of exposed internal engineering? Surely a smooth aerodynamic shell would finish it off perfectly?

Usually I would think so. Yet the sheer guts of exposing its, well... sheer guts seems to have unleashed the Hulk trapped below the surface of the restrained minimalist. Such a complex Meccano project somehow appeals to the primal. The idea that such a bleeding-edge piece of tech can reach back through layers of time and manners and enrage my basic caveman feels really exciting and a little scary. Should I start hunting my own food?



And if you think my reaction to this piece of machinery is a little, erm... passionate, then read the manufacturers description below. They are actually allowed beat their chests as they are the cavemen who built it. If you are shocked by engineering porn then look away now:

'The Fighter clarifies opaqueness and nullifies hype with straight-forward true to concept certitude. At the source is a classic right triangle. Proportion is classically derived. Scale is middle way. Bearing exudes structural permanence. Human integration deploys yang energy, vitality, and power in the most simple, pure and direct form. Geometry is optimized for the medium and/or long disciplined journey of sensory heightened motion. Torque to weight is maximized. Engine, suspension and ergonomic luxury and ease of use is optimized. Materials utilization is the finest. Individual piece and component specification is highest and best. Craft preparation and specification is uncompromised. The aesthetic is fresh, industrial, sculptural, holistic and honest. The saddle of the Fighter is your place for those outings which require extended time, geography, meditation and distance.'

The P120 Combat Edition Fighter is a limited edition of 120. www.confederate.com

Inner space

Some of the most interesting architecture at the moment is being born out of restriction. SpaceTM's Mark breathes in then relaxes at House 53 in São Paulo

As cities are being halted in their spread, architects are looking inwards and creating beautiful buildings on previously ignored small landsites. Architect Marcio Kogan's House 53 in São Paulo is my current favourite example.


In crowded cities, privacy can be a problem. Despite being on a slim 10m by 30m site surrounded by other builds, the privacy Marcio has created is obvious, with the dual layer of wooden walls. This minimalism is beautiful yet initially quite daunting for a visitor. When the building opens, it is spectacular. The second wall reveals itself to be wooden shutters for the upper floor, necessary for privacy yet adaptable and not as rigid as the first impression makes out.



Inside, the sense of space is heightened by making the most of the long sightlines the slim site imposes. A beautifully cantilevered floating staircase and low ceiling both serve to push this further. A swimming-lane pool adds water – and a quiet place to swim – as another element in Marcio's palette of natural materials.


The perceived ideal for modern architecture is a clean-lined construction cocooned and isolated in beautiful woodland. That type of site is increasingly rare and Marcio shows that an inner-city space's potential problems can be flipped and be turned into its biggest assets.

Photography by Rômulo Fialdini

Tenerife [002] Elemental

Crouching behind a main tourist area in Tenerife is a building with enough brute force to take on any of the world's architectural heavyweights, say SpaceTM's Mark

The Magma Arts and Congress Centre was certainly created for presence. Hewn out of monumental beaten-blocks of volcanic rock, it feels like architect Fernando Menis must have implemented pyramid-building techniques to make this possible.

Both he and the stone are local to the island and he certainly makes a statement about the island's force, both of nature and of will-power.

The design was informed by the weight of the volcano that dominates the island and the unusual desert landscapes created by it. Despite the definite feeling of solidity and confidence, any arrogance the building may have is washed away by the lightness of the free-flowing curved roof. This interaction echoes the way the sea and the rock landscapes affect each around the island.



The presence of the building cannot be denied. But it is really the attention to detail that brings this whole project true glory.

On approach, what first appears to be small slashes in a wall becomes inset glazed windows, stories and stories high. Huge slabs of concrete, that are so impressive from a distance, have false doors pressed into them as you get closer. Get closer still and the concrete contains small debris like nails and bottle tops. Whether through a telescope or a microscope, there is huge statement and tiny detail everywhere. I've never enjoyed such an immense building so minutely before.




The local stone gives way to a master-class in concrete usage and texture. Huge brutish slabs are used with their raw backs exposed and simply lined up in a row. The slatted spaces between them are then beautifully glazed, keeping the interior dark and cool. Vast stone expanses are hand beaten to serrated blade edges. Smooth wood-pressed surfaces butt up against primitive hand-beaten rock. The interactions in this building are endlessly fascinating. 



Yet all this raw expanse, contrasting texture and strong angle come into their own when they play with another of Tenerifes great forces. The light and shadow they create with the sun are both truly immense, finely textured and ever shifting.

Instead of just being inspired by what Tenerife has, Menis has created an island within an island that distills and exhibits what Tenerife can be when it is really at its best: when it is elemental.

Tenerife [001] Shock and Awe

Where does a minimalist find joy in the jumble of tourist Tenerife? Suprisingly, gasps SpaceTM's Mark, absolutely everywhere

Tenerife has a reputation for the gaudy end of the travel experience. This is certainly justified. The cut-and-shut of architectural styles plastered with jumbled layers of signage turns tourist streets into a tumbling agony of colour and angles. Some areas would be a shock to the senses for even a hardened Brit-Abroad, so imagine the potential damage to the discerning eyes and nervous system of a staunch minimalist.


After the eye-rolling, gasping, tutting (and self-awareness that you are the only person wearing dark grey during the day) something life-affirming happens. Initially, everywhere is so wrong that it reinforces exactly how right you are. That anyone could do these things to a naturally stunning volcanic island makes you want to change the world that little bit harder. Indeed, instead of jumping on a jet to find the nearest John Pawson, the minimalist starts to do the exact opposite and seek out even gawdier areas to eye-roll, gasp and tut at. How right can this place prove me to be?

Then slowly (like eating chilli-peppers) each time you want to push the pain a bit further. The worse it gets the more you want and you feel the addiction start. Forget acres of white plaster and slate, look at that wall of badly printed towels!  The bad is so bad it twists and really becomes extremely good. You ache to get Martin Parr over to really do it justice.


And yes, you notice that intriguing sliver of modernist glass glinting on a distant hill; you adore that restrained surfers bar on the beach with simple decking, woven-grass seats and hand-painted box tables; you love the discreet restaurant with dark wood, white linen and modular cane furniture by Skyline... yes, here the diamonds in the dust are thrown into such sharp contrast that they become real shining gems. The good needs the bad to make it look even better. Then you can forgive the bad and it too becomes beautiful.

Then there is the real shock of a building so strong, awe inspiring and unexpected that it gives you one of the architectural experiences of your life...

I'm not sure whether Tenerife has a tourist board slogan but, if it hasn't, it should be this: Tenerife: Shock and Awe.

The Perfect Hangover [002]

The Museum Liauning is buried in the Austrian landscape and only emerges to thrust thirty metres over a road.

Industrialist and art collector herbert W. Liaunig commissioned this build from architects Querkraft to house his personal collection of post-war Austrian art.

Like the house in Portugal, I am loving these buildings that, although severe in line, are buried in the landscape and then use a dramatic cantilever to announce their presence and stun visitors with cinematic views.

The idea of building long and low, hidden within and using the landscape, feels a lot more exciting and contemporary than the tired thirst for tall and obtrusive.


Although, in this building, the framed wide-screen views of the mountain threatens to outdo the art

Photographs © Lisa Rasti / Museum Liauning

Cool to be Hot in the Marais

Due to the nu-fires, highlighted in earlier posts , even the most severe of minimalists can now warm their cold, hard heart in front of a roaring fire, says SpaceTM's Mark

Fire's irritating ability to create randomly tumbling charcoals and white plaster-threatening smoke – plus its refusal to burn in a straight line – was previously too anxious an experience for the aesthetically and tonally civilised.

This set-peice fire, above, at the Murano Hotel was a welcome sight – even for the most precise -– during a chilled New Years Eve in the Parisian Marais.

The polished concrete wall (check) was inset (check) with a wall-length straight line (check) of flame (check) burning cleanly out of grey (check) pebbles (check). Fire as fire should be.

Man supposedly became man when he harnessed fire. It was just never quite harnessed enough for my liking. Until now.

SpaceTM's Joe walks on water [002]

The P&O ferry I travelled on was very run down. Cosmetic modifications were half hearted and sometimes just stuck roughly over older decor.

But despite any talk that the glory days of the ferry were over thanks to the Channel Tunnel, my ferry was packed. So packed that the queue for the cafe stretched right down the corridor and down the stairs to the next floor.

Fascinating graphics were periodically painted on the walls. I have no idea what they mean, but Jasper Johns would have been proud.

 
All pictures copyright Joe Heaney, 2008

Space TM's Mark spends a weekend with the chairs at the Ibiza Gran Hotel

The five-star Ibiza crowd are well known for their excesses. Thankfully, one of the first chairs in foyer of Ibiza's Gran Hotel – just a stumble away from the entrance – is the Para (above). 

Designed by the brilliant Barcelona-based firm Joquer, this huge modular sofa would undoubtedly be too big in a less generous hotel. But in this setting, its sculptural grandeur is well suited. 

The upsides are presence and comfort – lie down on it and you don't want to get up again. Good job really, as the latter also calls to mind the serious downside – it actually isn't all that easy to get up off even when do want to. (Warning: this loss of dignity in such a stylish environment will be noted.) Combine this with the fact it can hold around a dozen people and you have a possible natural disaster on your hands.

 

The pool area at the Ibiza Gran is the hub of the hotel. The loungers, set in the pool itself (above), are the ultimate in cool – literally. They are designed to sit only just above the waterline so on a hot day you can playfully swish your toes in the water. However there are only about a dozen, so they are prime pool real estate. You'll be lucky to bag one because the supermodels are rabid about getting them first (and if luck is on your side, you may be driven away by how terrible you look in comparison to those around you.) Take pleasure, however, in knowing that the loungers are set a little too low. If the pool isn't yet warm the supermodel will be sporting an unpleasantly cold, wet bum.

A romantic treat are the double sun loungers (above) by Skyline designs. Skyline produce some of the most innovative and stylish poolside furniture in the world and are a real favourite of mine. I particularly like the handy room in the middle for that all important ice-bucket (and its bubbly contents).

Bear in mind, however, that if you and your partner have differing sun tolerances, it may be necessary for a "lounger-divorce" to occur, followed by a relocation to two singles. 

Incidentally, I am particularly pleased to learn that these unbeatable loungers are created in my home county of Leicestershire, England.

Back in the foyer two 60s flavoured chairs (above) were perfectly positioned to catch the afternoon sun. Extremely comfortable and large enough to straddle cross-legged, they were used by musicians Groove Armada during their Ibiza Gran photoshoot for Pacha magazine. 

I was unable to find out more about them as the Guest Relations lady was busy organising someone a helicopter to Formentera.

Pebble-like benches were placed outside the lifts on all five floors (pictured above in blue, although available in various colours).

Again, I was unable to find out much more about these but, after sitting on one, I started not to care, being huge, leather-clad, statement-objects that looked fantastic but were as uncomfortable as it's possible to imagine. 

I'm unsure as to whether to keep these on this post. I love experiments in design but am old fashioned in thinking that, fundamentally, a chair needs to be able to be sat upon. My partner still thinks I was making a mistake and sitting on the art. I really want to believe him.

In contrast to the attention grabbing pebbles, here we have another winner by Joquer. This time it's the discreet Lungo-Mare sofa (above). It was cool to see so many pieces by this Spanish firm being chosen to adorn the hotel. All so different, yet each a real winner. This one was tucked away slightly in the first floor gallery, but full of quiet confidence. It combines simplicity in construction, spiced up with subtle asymmetrical detail. A real gem.

I am desperate to find out who made the chair above (if anyone knows then please email me*), for this was my surprise winner. 

Again, tucked away in a less showy part of the hotel, this summed up how carefully all the furniture had been considered. Each piece – with their upsides and downsides – were the perfect choice for the tone of their particular location. For me, the simplicity, proportion and contrasts in this chair – with its two basic block cushions wrapped by a thin continual steel tube – make it a modern classic. I couldn't get enough of it. Oddly, that was also its downside. I wasted a huge amount of a short weekend sat in a lonely part of one of the best hotels in the world. The supermodels thought I was weird, but I was comfortable.

 * I was so thrilled today that the designer of this chair himself contacted us at SpaceTM to tell us he created the chair. It was designed by Ingo Krapf and was another produced through Joquer. Thanks Ingo and much admiration