Azure Magazine

For three decades, the Czech city of Jihlava debated whether to replace its deteriorating 1950s ice rink on its longtime site at the edge of the historic medieval city centre or relocate the arena to the outskirts. When the city launched an architectural competition for the project back in 2019, CHYBIK + KRISTOF proposed keeping the arena — plus an existing training centre and an operations facility — in situ, while reimagining it as a porous piece of public infrastructure. “Locating an arena di

For the longest time, Toronto had been accused of turning its back on the waterfront. The hulking Gardiner Expressway cut the downtown core off from Lake Ontario, and the surrounding Port Lands were mostly relegated to industrial uses. But over the past 25 years, slowly but surely, the landscape has changed, and landscape architecture and ecological engineering were in fact the driving forces behind all the new development — commercial, residential and park space — that has not only remade the w

Last week, employees at several A.I. companies rang the alarm bells about society’s impending doom, saying that rapidly evolving machine learning systems could lead to human extinction by 2030. A few days later, the Toronto International Film Festival screened Bunker, the latest movie from French playwright-turned–film director Florian Zeller, starring real-life couple Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem. Who can say what will eventually spark the apocalypse — another pandemic, nuclear warfare

Last July, Bota Bota unveiled its first new vessel in over fifteen years. The iconic floating spa in Montréal’s Old Port has always struck me as hitting a rare sweet spot, beloved by tourists and local Montréalers alike. Its new 1,858-square-metre Pavillon, designed by Montréal-based Sid Lee Architecture, leans deeper into its Quebecois roots — from the pioneering local designers who executed it, down to the spruce and native plants sprouting beside its steaming hot tubs. One look at the w

Designing a kitchen usually begins with a set of questions: How do the clients use their space? How do they like to cook and entertain? What matters most to them? When California designer Anne Sage renovated her own kitchen, she already had the answers. She knew how the room needed to work for her family and how she wanted it to feel — warm and inviting, but also clean and modern. Her biggest challenge was to tackle this wish list while simultaneously navigating her cooking space’s limitin

Soft, calm and radiant, the flickering flames of lit candles instantly transform the ambiance of a room with a glowing warmth. With these sculptural candle holders, an element of play is introduced to that tranquil effect, enhancing it with the opportunity to devise unique and ever-changing creative expressions.  1 Pair Candleholder by Muuto When conceptualizing his Pair candle holder for Muuto, Norwegian designer Lars Tornøe was initially drawn to the idea of a simple X-

When Sarah Sawaya and her brother Thomas first put up signage announcing the arrival of their new ceramics studio-meets-café, TigerBaby Coffee & Clay, in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood, a few passersby expressed early skepticism about their hybrid business model. After all, nobody wants the dust from pottery production sprinkled on top of their latte. Thankfully, the two halves of TigerBaby’s operations are given generous separation in its three-floor setup: The coffee bar takes up

Research is often imagined as a solitary undertaking — a lone scientist toiling away in a lab, or a scholar buried deep in the archives. But in practice, especially in the sciences, research is a highly collaborative pursuit, dependent on teamwork, shared infrastructure and institutional networks. It’s a common misconception, but it makes sense when you consider that scientific discovery typically happens behind closed doors, in controlled environments that most students or visitors never enter.

For architects Valentina Pontieri and Giulio Ciccarese, every home is an island. The two — who founded their Rome-based practice Margine Studio in 2012 — approach each residential project as an opportunity to create “a unique and self-contained microcosm designed around the needs, habits and emotions of its inhabitants.” Eschewing rigidity and formality for fluidity and flexibility, Margine crafts spaces that feel open, pragmatic (yet not boring) and, above all, deeply personal.  The

Le Grand-Espace in Sherbrooke is yet another example that French Canadian design is unafraid of vibrant colour and supergraphics. In saturated red, gold and black, the building announces a new arts venue with star quality. At 1,460 square metres, this is a humble structure, but its big personality speaks of grand ambitions for engaging tourists in the Eastern Townships with programming that includes theatre, dance, circus arts and productions for young audiences. Quebec firm A

Madrid has no shortage of celebrated dining destinations, but culinary entrepreneurs Madeleine Martin and Emerik Minost nevertheless noticed the city was lacking one critical form of establishment: a first-rate modern sandwich shop — the type of place where you can enjoy a messy-but-delicious meatball sub or lobster roll. It wasn’t long before they had channeled their cravings into Grab, a lunch spot that successfully captures the charm of old-school deli counters, albeit in a crisp, conte

September marks the return of the design calendar in earnest. After the summer slowdown, major fairs and festivals from Paris to Bologna to London bring a fresh round of product launches and installations. School is back in session, too, with universities relaunching their public programming through lectures, exhibitions and other events that open up academic conversations to a wider audience. Together, they make September one of the busiest months for seeing what’s new in design and architectur

Long relegated to the sidelines as practical storage, the sideboard is increasingly taking on a more expressive role in kitchen and dining spaces — and beyond. Rather than simply disappearing against a wall, many modern designs are conceived as focal points in their own right, with proportions, finishes and forms that give them enough visual presence to anchor a room. Below, we round up four pieces ready to do just that. 1 AlterEgo by Abimis A companion piece to architect Albe

Mythical giants. Divine messengers. Living islands. Mystical deities. In maritime lore and legend, whales are both revered and feared, with the immense aquatic mammals perceived as both protectors and adversaries. For Shanghai-based firm Wutopia Lab, the mammoth and mysterious creatures served as direct inspiration for its gateway to the Jinsha Golden Island residential complex by Jinsha Group in the city of Shangqiu in Henan province.   Aptly called Whale Gate, the 242-square-metre s

A spider’s web suspended in morning dew. The iridescent scales of a butterfly’s wing. The slow, imperceptible growth of coral beneath the sea. These minuscule landscapes are the inspiration behind Zoometry, a new series of collectible, hand-knotted rugs created by Toronto design studio Creative Matters and Paris-based architecture studio RDAI. The collection translates nature’s hidden geometry into six tactile works of art. Drawn from the eyespots, or ocelli, found on many butt

When you emerge on the ninth floor of 4 Pancras Square, an office tower in London’s King’s Cross neighbourhood, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the workspace for a contemporary art gallery. Here, at the new headquarters of Island Records and EMI (both part of Universal Music Group), you’re as likely to encounter a portrait by Annie Leibovitz or a Thierry Noir mural as you are at any museum across town. When you consider that the space is designed with local studio InterestingProjects, known for

Designed by Alain Ritter, Collège Rousseau is an elegant example of brutalism. The quadrilateral building with a courtyard at its centre is a masterclass in balance, proportion and materiality. Around its glazed podium, a series of post-and-beam ribs until recently held up two stories of classroom spaces. Now, a third tier tops the 21,850-square-metre building — thanks to an almost imperceptible addition by Burckhardt Architecture. The original building. Photo: Staatsarchiv Genf

With the Canada-U.S. trade war escalating, Canadian pride for homegrown brands has never been stronger. When it comes to lighting, the Toronto design community doesn’t need to look far to support domestic industry. Earlier this month, Quebec-based manufacturer Luminaire Authentik opened a new flagship in the city’s King East Design District that quadruples the size of its previous local shop. (The brand also operates two additional showrooms, in Montreal and Cowansville, Quebec.) “We wanted to h

When Biidaasige Park first opened last year on Toronto’s eastern waterfront, it was a revelation. Here, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA), supported by a team of engineering, ecological, and hydrologic specialists, had quite literally moved water and earth to create a public space that has been described as “once-in-a-generation,” renaturalizing the Don River in the process. Not only is it a massive feat of regenerative design, it has managed to create a sense of place in a formerl

When Brandon Marek, the managing partner of Harlo Entertainment hospitality group, reached out to architecture and design studio Odami about envisioning a Japanese steakhouse in Toronto’s financial district, the timing couldn’t have been better. Marek had just returned from a cross-country research trip that helped him and his executive chef, Jia Zou, hone their vision for what would go on to become Shinji. Coincidentally, Odami co-founders Arancha González Bernardo and Michael Fohring had made