d+a Magazine - Issue 113

In this issue

The latest issue of d+a is a reflection of how busy the last quarter of the year typically is. For example, it starts with a feature story based on an exclusive press trip to Europe, invited by Vitra and W. Atelier, to visit a textile mill in northern Italy that manufactures fabrics for Vitra’s furniture. We then crossed the Swiss Alps to the small German town of Weil Am Rhein to tour the impressive Vitra Campus.
There were events aplenty, which we were media partners of. These included the annual ArchiFest 2019, the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards and the 8th mASEANa International Conference. Please don’t miss the important message the latter is trying to convey – we must remain united against allowing our national heritage to be erased. We interviewed Tim Kobe, the founder and CEO of Eight Inc., who is best known for conceptualising the original brick-and-mortar Apple Store. An experience designer, he is a strong proponent of designing with the end-user in mind, which is why his statement that an architect’s job “is fundamentally to serve people” really resonated with us. On the cover this issue is the Lost Villa Boutique Hotel. Marvel at how DAS Lab has camouflaged the project into the village of Dawan in Ningxia, China. You will realise the intention is both to harmonise with the surrounding landscape and local village architecture. Special mention must go to Masjid Daing Abdul Rahman, a contemporary-style mosque in Malaysia by Razin Architects that is a three-storey cube of glass, brick and steel. Its description of the project aptly sums it up, “We wanted to show a progressive image, not be
stuck with the conventional dome and minaret.”