Monocle Issue 123

May 2019

Our new design world. We unpack the best projects and plans for creating the perfect residence.

Are you sitting comfortably?

It’s time for Monocle’s annual property survey, where we start with five distinguished developments.

Welcome to our annual property survey, where we whizz around the globe to show you the best recent developments and have a look at the cities getting it right. Below you can join us on a whistlestop tour of impressive new buildings, ranging from a reimagined former bank to a leafy Vietnamese residence.

We then take stock of the housing… Read more

Green Magazine

14 May 2019

Internationally recognised architect Koichi Takada will explore his philosophy of merging architecture with nature as part of the DesignBUILD speaker series on Thursday 16 May at 3 pm.

Takada’s growing practice is also gaining an international reputation and is about to change the skylines of Tokyo, Los Angeles and Mexico City. The studio is currently working on six interiors for the National Museum of Qatar, under construction in Doha.

Originally from Japan, architect Koichi Takada asserts that the past and its traditions are vital when looking at the design of our future buildings.

Urban… Read more

The Urban Developer
13th May 2019

Sydney-based developer Crown Group has unveiled its latest residential project, a $1 billion mixed-use waterfront resort which will feature a marina, beach club and dining precinct.

The 9,000sq m development, located at the popular seaside destination Ancol in north Jakarta, will comprise 2,000 apartments across a series of towers, with a luxury waterfront living concept designed by Sydney-based architect Koichi Takada.

For click here for the full article… Read more

World Architecture Community

9th May 2019

Curvaceous timber walls form the whole interior of two museum shops inside Jean Nouvel’s National Museum of Qatar in Doha, which opened in March. Presenting a cave-like interior, the shelves are naturally being part of the timber walls that present smooth and fluid surfaces for visitors.

Designed by Australian architecture firm Koichi Takada Architects, the architects created this sinuous interior to show ” a poetic” narrative of the Qatari history. “The designs are an embodiment of the Qatari history, the beginnings of the trade, nomadic lifestyle and beautiful natural environment,” said the architects.

For the… Read more

Designboom

24 April 2019

Following the National Museum of Qatar‘s grand opening in March, Koichi Takada Architects presents final photography from inside the museum gift shop and children’s gift shop. the idea behind the interiors designed by the Australian studio intends to complement the exterior ‘desert rose’ concept envisioned by French architect Jean Nouvel. This collection of images showcases the ‘cave-like’ museum shop space that has been created taking direct inspiration from Qatar’s natural ‘Cave of Light’ (Dahl Al Misfir), which can be found in the heart of the country.

The incredible timber walls which dominate the space have been realized using 40,000 pieces of CNC-cut wood.… Read more

Forbes

23 April 2019

by Lauren Jade Hill

This month saw the newly completed National Museum of Qatar begin welcoming visitors into its architecturally impressive exhibition space, shops and dining venues. Complementing the breath-taking exterior design of French architect Jean Nouvel, it was Koichi Takada Architects who executed the design of its interiors after winning a global competition to take the project on in 2012.

Built on 1.5 million sq ft at the south end of Doha’s Corniche, the new museum boasts a prominent position in the city with dramatic architecture inspired by the unique mineral formation, desert rose. Koichi Takada designed… Read more

Dezeen

18 April 2019

by Lizzie Crook

photography by Tom Ferguson

videography by Tom Roberts

Australian studio Koichi Takada Architects has completed two gift shops inside Jean Nouvel’s National Museum of Qatar in Doha, featuring undulating wooden surfaces.

The two cave-like gift shops are the first of a number of interior spaces that Koichi Takada Architects is creating inside the new museum, along with three restaurants set to open later this year.

Now open to the public, the shops are intended to complement the organic form of the museum building by Atelier Jean Nouvel, which was unveiled in March.

The gift shop interiors are characterised by soaring wooden walls… Read more

VOGUE

16 April 2019

by Liam Freeman

NMoQ is the embodiment of that idea. Opening two years later than originally planned, amidst the ongoing diplomatic crisis, the building was designed by Jean Nouvel, the Pritzker-winning French architect behind the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Philharmonie de Paris – in the likeness of a desert rose crystal (pictured below). Interiors were designed by Sydney-based Koichi Takada Architects, who also created Jennifer Hawkins’ waterfront home.

Comprising an array of curved discs, the spontaneity of the structure continues in the museum’s interior. Forsaking the white cube format of many galleries, the undulating walls make… Read more

The Australian Newspaper

13th April 2019

by Christine Mccabe

There’s an Australian connection to the newly opened National Museum of Qatar rising above Doha’s waterfront Corniche.

Designed by Jean Nouvel, the Pritzker Prize-winning French architect behind the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the impressive new museum consists of a series of layered, intersecting discs inspired by the so-called desert rose, surreal crystal clusters that sprout in the sand and bear a striking resemblance to the flower.

But the restaurants and retail spaces are the work of Sydney-based Koichi Takada Architects after winning an international design competition in 2012. Principal… Read more

SCALE Magazine

5th April 2019

by Sindhu Nair

Koichi Takada touches on the Wabi-sabi aesthetics that is on play at the National Museum of Qatar as he takes us through his interior designs within the Museum. By Sindhu Nair

Koichi Takada stands apart, serene yet observant, in the mayhem that surrounds Jean Nouvel and his fan following at the opening of the National Museum of Qatar. His approach to design is similar to his character; in perfect sync with the surrounding, drawing inspiration from nature without disturbing the balance.

Takada reminisces about the buildings he was inspired by in Doha.… Read more