Cologne, January, 14-20, 2013
During the imm cologne, there were 180 square metres at the centre of Hall 3.2 that were clearly distinct from the rest of the trade fair: this is where designer duo Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien were given the opportunity to orchestrate the very first “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” special exhibition. Just a few hours after the opening of this year’s furniture trade fair it was already clear: “Das Haus” was not just well worth visiting, it proved to be an absolute crowd magnet”.
Who says modern everyday life and sensuousness have to be at odds with one another? The “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” installation by Doshi Levien at the imm cologne 2012 aims to furnish evidence to the contrary. In an installation that is visionary not just at architectural level but in creative terms as well, the design experiment is developing into a fascinating study on modern ways of living.
“Paradise” by Coldplay pours out of the speakers of the Pure Village stereo system, helping the trade fair construction workers get into the groove as they erect “Das Haus” for koelnmesse’s new design event of the same name. There are however frequent interruptions to this musical accompaniment: the squealing of circular saws, the sounds of hammering and drilling and the voices of the construction workers as they call to one another across the hall.
In September 2011, Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien explained their concept for the “Das Haus” project to Koelnmesse’s Creative Director Dick Spierenburg. The creativity in the designer couple’s London studio is so tangible you can literally reach out and touch it. A little model gives all those involved with the project an initial impression of the spatial structures.
Most of the cubes are already standing, the structure that will be shaping Pure Village 2012 is already discernible. A big open space in the middle of Hall 3.2 is the only indication that there’s still something special in the offing. And this is exactly where the foundation stone for koelnmesse’s new design event “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” is to be laid. A few days before Christmas Eve, the imm cologne’s Creative Director Dick Spierenburg came by to see how things were progressing for himself and clarify the final details with the construction manager.
In the second part of the interview Dick Spierenburg, creative director of the imm cologne project “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” talks about expectations of the project and draws a comparison to the former imm cologne project “ideal house”.
Dick Spierenburg is Creative Director of the imm cologne’s new design highlight: “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage”. For the first installation, he has invited London design studio Doshi Levien to build a sort of turnkey vision of what living in one’s own four walls can be like in the midst of the Pure Village hall. In the interview Dick Spierenburg talks about his decision for Doshi Levien and the basic idea of this project.
How did you proceed with the design for the imm cologne?
Nipa Doshi: We worked with intersecting volumes of the kind you might find in industrial buildings to create fragmented spaces. For the structuring elements, we’re thinking of walls with different degrees of transparency and frames with mesh-like coverings, rather like Indian jalis. The spaces are connected via windows, and there are steps that lead down from various living levels to a central courtyard.
The reason modernist architecture is so topical again today is that – perhaps for the first time ever – it is compatible with many people’s desire for open living spaces, a more flexible organisation of their lives and aesthetics with a bearing on the present. Today we want to live the way Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier proposed. But also the way Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien depict in their installation for “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage”: in an individual, lively home with cultural echoes. In a house that permits privacy and publicness, that connects the kitchen, eating and working zones, family and friends, areas of retreat and shared wellness experiences in an individual way.
Dick Spierenburg studied architecture at the Technical University of Delft and has been working as a designer since the late 1970s. As co-founder of the Nederlands Interieur Collectief, he promotes collaboration between Dutch design manufacturers and importers. After working for architecture and urban development firm Bo.2, he ran his own design studio with Karel Boonzaaijer from 2001 to 2008. He designs furniture for private interiors and offices for clients like Artifort, Arco or Moroso and works for Koelnmesse in the capacity of Art Director.
