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Ma Yansong is gesturing at a spiraling staircase inside the atrium of a building. The founder of MAD Architectsthe Chinese firm behind the soon-to-open Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angelesis in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to inaugurate the opening of his first museum in Europe, and he is talking about movement. Of forms, yes, but mostly of people. Ma Yansong [Photo: Courtesy MAD Architects] The museum, called Fenix, sits on the edge of Rotterdam’s historic port, which was also the first Chinatown in continental Europe. It was here, from the banks of the River Maas, where millions of emigrantsAlbert Einstein includedboarded ships toward North America in search of better opportunities. And it is here, in the building that once housed the world’s largest harbor storage warehouse for the Holland America Line, that Yansong has come to reflect on the meaning of migration. Fenix is likely the first art museum in the world dedicated to the politically loaded theme of migration. Exhibitions stretch across two long, airy floors inside a century-old warehouse that was purchased by local art and culture foundation Droom en Daad in 2018, then restored by local architects from the design firm Bureau Polderman. MAD’s tangled staircase connects both floors, then swoops out through the roof into a panoramic platform that offers sprawling views of the city. “I think it’s an architectural element, but its also a metaphor; it has a storytelling function,” Yansong says. [Photo: Iwan Baan] “It’s not about numbers” Fenix is opening at a time in which migrants around the world are being vilified, humiliated, deported. The EU has been hardening its migration policy for years, and hard-right parties are fast gaining groundin the Netherlands as well. Since President Donald Trump took office, he has shifted nearly every aspect of U.S immigration policy to constrict regular immigration pathways, deport primarily black and brown immigrants living in the U.S. regardless of their legal status or criminal history, and instill fear among those who remain. By comparison, the team behind Fenix is approaching migration with empathy. “We show that migration is not about numbers or facts, but it’s really about people,” says Anne Kremers, director of Fenix. “There’s a migration story to tell in every family, so that really is our angle: to show that we’re all human.” The underlying theme is perhaps best illustrated by a giant sculpture of a sun hanging over the lobby, which is here to suggest that we all live under the same sun. The galleries showcase personal histories of identity and migration from around the world: a Chinese talisman from a queer man who fled his native China for the Netherlands, and a life-size MTA bus with various characters made of wood. One exhibition makes the argument that we are all one big family of migrants. Another lets you journey through a labyrinth of 2,000 suitcases collected from across the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada. [Photo: Iwan Baan] A metaphor for migration In the atrium, Yansong has articulated his own interpretation of migration in the form of a loopy, sinuous stairway that has been dubbed Tornado. This star attraction is actually two staircases that meet at two separate junctions before ushering visitors onto the roof. For Yansong, these junctions are symbolic of the journey a migrant takes. “You have to choose,” he says. In pure Rotterdam style, the stairs were craned into place after being transported by barge. The structure is clad in 297 highly polished, stainless steel panelseach a different size and made in Groningen, in northern Netherlands. The steps themselves are made of a Norwegian wood called Kebony, which develops a natural silver-gray patina over time and resembles the wood on a ship deck. On the roof, when you lean over the balustrade, you can almost feel the flurry of emotions that emigrants must have felt when waving to their loved ones, themselves standing on the nearby “pier of tears.” (A pill-shaped elevator encased in a glass cylinder provides an accessible route and culminates to a similar experience when you emerge onto the roof.) Sometimes, architects designing art museums choose to scale back the architecture in order to let the art speak for itself. Here, Yansong opted for a design that bolsters it. Some will inevitably find the steel too impersonal in a museum that is filled with such intimate, vulnerable stories. But as visitors walk around the atrium and climb up the steps, they willsee one another reflected in the mirrored surface, whichsmudges be damnedis designed to reinforce the shared experience of the moment. [Photo: Iwan Baan] Designing with emotion MAD is no stranger to cultural buildings, among them the Harbin Opera House in the province of Heilongjiang and the China Philharmonic Concert Hall in Beijing. But Fenix is the studio’s first cultural project in Europe, and the first European museum designed by a Chinese firman achievement that Yansong has long yearned for. “I always wanted this opportunity,” he says of the chance to design a museum in Europe. “It’s a journey for me, you know, to understand other people. I think that’s the most exciting part, for I go to a different place and try to understand.” Yansong grew up in Beijing, in the traditional hutong alleyways that would later be demolished as part of the country’s rush to modernize. During his early 20s, he studied at Yale, then worked in London (under Zaha Hadid) before returning to his native country. Since then, Yansong has become part of the second generation of Chinese architects revolutionizing architecture after the country opened up to private practice in the 1990s. In 2012, he gained international fame with his curvaceous “Marilyn Monroe Towers” in Mississauga, Canada, which led to other international commissions like an apartment complex in Paris, or most recently the One River North apartment block in Denver. But his Chinese background never seems to stray too far. “I think the fundamental difference between China and the Western world is the Chinese use more emotion,” he told me. In Fenix, like with every building, Yansong began with a hand sketch. “You capture an emotion at one moment,” he says, “and I try to keep that until the endnot to change it or make it perfect.” To him, the museum is a poetic interpretation of the migration that his own people have experienced”the Chinese go everywhere,” he saysbut also of migration as a whole. “Movement is universal.”
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E-Commerce
A century ago, Guccio Gucci opened a boutique in Florence, Italy, that sold high-end leather luggage to well-heeled travelers. He infused his brand with all kinds of unique design elements that would become iconic, including the double-G insignia and bamboo handles. Guccio’s oldest son, Aldo, would go on to transform the label into one of the best-known luxury brands in the world, alongside Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Prada. Aldo’s granddaughter, Alexandra Gucci Zarini, heard a lot about the origins of her family’s business around the dining table when she was growing up. She wanted to follow in her great-grandfather’s footsteps by becoming a fashion designer. But by the time she was in design school, the Guccis no longer controlled their namesake brand. In 1993, the family sold its stake to a Bahrain-based company that took it public. By 1999, the French luxury conglomerate Kering (formerly Pinault-Printemps-Redoute) had acquired a controlling 42% stake in Gucci for $3 billion. Within five years, that stake grew to 99.4%. “I wanted to be just like my grandfather,” Zarini says. “I wanted to create something long-lasting and meaningful. But my family wasn’t involved in the company anymore and so I went on with my life.” [Photo: courtesy AGCF] Zarini went on to do other things, including working at a family office and an art gallery, before becoming a stay-at-home mother. But two years ago, Zarini decided it was finally time for her to rekindle her dream: She cofounded her own handbag brand, called AGCF (which stands for Alexandra Gucci Creative Framework) with her husband, Josef Zarini. It produces luxury handbags priced between $1,000 and $3,000, along with small leather goods and jewelry. She launched her newest handbag collection, which features structured silhouettes that are subtly reminiscent of her great-grandfather’s original designs, earlier this spring. [Photo: courtesy AGCF] In many ways, the past two years have been a chance for Zarini and her husband to test the waters with their nascent brandand now they’re ready to scale. They’re beginning to explore partnerships with department stores and other retailers around the world. Zarini’s goal is to appeal to a new kind of luxury customer, one who prefers quiet luxury to big brands. But there are also some customers who long for the old Gucci and are drawn to AGCF’s design language. “There’s a little hint of Gucci there, but it’s also a distinctly different brand,” Zarini says. “It’s a brand reimagined for today.” And indeed, AGCF provides luxury shoppers an alternative to Gucci, which is currently on a downward spiral. Last year, Gucci revenue declined by 23% from the year before to $8.6 billion. This weakened Kering’s earnings, which were down 12% to $17.8 billion. This year, Gucci’s first-quarter sales continued to tumble by 25%. In March, Gucci announced that it had appointed Demna, the creative director of Balenciaga for the past 10 years, to become its new artistic director, starting in July 2025. Given that Demna is known for pursuing the avant-garde, rather than the traditional, AGCF may offer a compelling option to fans of old-school Gucci. [Photo: courtesy AGCF] A 21st-Century Label Over the decades, there were others in the Gucci family who launched their own fashion lines, including two of Aldo’s sons, Giorgio and Paolo, in the 1960s and 1970s. (Those brands were ultimately absorbed into the Gucci Group and acquired by Kering.) But Zarini’s vision for her brand is different from those of her uncles. Zarini realized she had the opportunity to think about what would be different if Guccio Gucci had founded his brand today, and recognizes that the 21st-century consumer expects different things from luxury brands. For one thing, the planet wasn’t in crisis a century ago, so Gucci wasn’t built on sustainable principles. Conversely, Zarini has built AGCF with a focus on more eco-friendly materials and manufacturing processes. The brand sources its leather from a tannery in Florence that is audited by the Leather Working Group, and its small jewelry collection is made using recycled metals and lab-grown diamonds. [Photo: courtesy AGCF] We also live in an era of fast fashion, where trends shift quickly, creating a culture of overconsumption that is bad for he environment. Even luxury brands are guilty of cultivating trends to encourage people to buy more and more. Zarini has focused on designing bags that are minimal and classic, so they don’t go out of style. “Even the colors are going to stay the same,” she says. “Our goal is to create products that could have been worn 30 years ago and youll still wear 30 years from now.” More importantly, Zarini wants her brand to be associated with a social cause. She has spent her life focused on fighting against the exploitation of children. Zarini herself is a survivor. In 2020, she brought a lawsuit against three of her family members, describing years of sexual abuse perpetrated by her former stepfather, Joseph Ruffal, and complicity from her mother and grandmother. Zarini wants to use AGCF as a platform for raising awareness about child abuse. AGCF was founded as a B Corporation, and it donates 20% of its profits to support grassroots charitable organizations that are committed to advocating for children. She believes a fashion brand is a particularly good vehicle for telling this story because it’s also part of an industry that exploits children. “We know that the fashion industry relies on child labor,” she says. “And young models are taken advantage of.” [Photo: courtesy AGCF] Paying Homage to Aldo Gucci Zarini is building a luxury brand for the 21st century. Even so, she’s still deeply inspired by her great-grandfather’s work, and her products have silhouettes and motifs that are distantly related to the Gucci archives. AGCF seems designed to appeal to Gucci fans who are more drawn to the brand’s heritage than to what it has become in recent years. “There’s a subtle hint of heritage there,” Zarini says. “It ties back to my grandfather.” [Photo: courtesy AGCF] Zarini has created simple, structured silhouettes for her bags, some of which are reminiscent of classic Gucci pieces. The rounded shape of the Ascot bag, for instance, is similar to Gucci’s bamboo handle bag that was launched in 1947. The Chelsea crossbody bag has a trapezoid shape that is similar to the Gucci horsebit bag that came out in 1955. “If you look from afar, you might see the Gucci vibe,” she says. “But I’m interested in bringing in that heritage without too closely mimicking it, because I don’t want to ride the coattails of the Gucci name.” [Photo: courtesy AGCF] AGCF launched quietly two years ago. It sells its products online and from a storefront on Rodeo Drive. This is also a tribute to her grandfather, who first opened a store there in 1968. This was an important step for Gucci because it introduced Hollywood stars to the label, helping turn the brand into a global sensation. “Aldo Gucci was one of the first to open a store on Rodeo Drive, and turn the street into what it is today,” says Josef Zarini. “I think it’s important to remember him because he is a Gucci that the world doesn’t know very well.”
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E-Commerce
Spring is officially here. Its beautiful outside, and let me guess: You are spending all of your time indoors. Dont worry, youre in good company. On average people spend 90% of their time indoors. Not to mention that the other 10% is probably mostly spent in cars or other built environments. Workers in cubicles spend eight hours every day in a small gray box, separated from human interaction, marinating in stagnant air and fluorescent lighting. Its cramped, uncomfortable, and unhealthy. One 2018 study found that workers in cubicles were 31.83% less active and reported being 9.10% more stressed at the office compared with workers in open bench seating. Not to mention that over time, chronic stress can lead to a host of negative health effects such as weight gain, trouble concentrating, irritability, lower rates of healing, and high blood pressure. In contrast, the field of biophilic design aims to create spaces that optimize productivity and well-being. In the roughly 300,000 years humans have been on Earth, offices have only really been around the past few hundred years. Biophilic architecture is based on the concept that humans evolved in natural environments, and because of this, we feel the best when these factors are mimicked. Incorporation or mimicry of the natural world into our built spaces can greatly improve peoples health, happiness, and productivity. Researchers have found that harnessing biophilic design can lead to powerful effects, such as buildings that make employees more productive, hospitals that heal people faster, and apartment complexes that reduce crime. However, you dont need to invest billions of dollars to access the benefits of biophilic designresearch has found that even small changes can have big impacts. Here are a few simple ways that you can leverage biophilic design in your workspaces to improve your well-being and productivity. [Images: Mike Von/Unsplash, munandme/iStock/Getty Images Plus] Start bringing plants to work The first step to creating a more biophilic workplace can be as simple as bringing a few plants to work. According to a field study published in the Frontiers in Psychology journal in 2023, adding plants into workplaces without views of greenery significantly increased employee workplace satisfaction and sense of privacy, modulated humidity, and improved opinions on workplace attractiveness, while decreasing health-related complaints. According to biophilic design consultant Sonja Bochart, Even the smallest plant can make a difference. In fact, according to a 2020 study, researchers found that 27% of participants saw a significant reduction of pulse rate when staring at a small plant on their desk, in comparison to a blank desktop monitor during breaks. Bochart especially recommends bringing in plants in an array of sizes, which provides variety and is very pleasing to the mind and to the brain. Research from NASA has also found that low-light and low-maintenance house plants, such as snake plants and spider plants, are great at producing oxygen and cleaning air pollutants. [Images: David Fintz/Unsplash, munandme/iStock/Getty Images Plus] Prioritize natural lighting Consistent exposure to natural sunlight can have a powerful impact on peoples health and productivity. One study found that workers in offices lit by sunlight reported an 84% decrease in symptoms such as headaches, eyestrain, and blurred vision. Bochart says that the benefits of sunlight exposure can also follow you home. Sunlight helps set peoples circadian rhythms, which help our mood, help our development, and help our sleep and wake cycles, she says. If you have some control over the design of your workplace, Ryan Mullenix, a partner at the international architecture and design firm NBBJ, recommends taking opportunities to control ones environment by adding dimmers to lighting and taking advantage of cross-ventilation [if there are operable windows] when the weather is nice. Bochart also recommends working near windows as much as possible, which provides sunlight while also allowing pople to connect with nonrhythmic, sensory stimulation happening outside, such as the weather, change of seasons, and animal activity. That stimulation sensory system is really rich, she says. If it isnt possible to work near a window, Bochart recommends to try to take frequent breaks and go outside, or spend time in a break room or other space with a window. [Images: Bruno Guerrero/Unsplash, munandme/iStock/Getty Images Plus] Consider swapping pop radio for nature sounds According to a report by sustainability consulting firm Terrapin Bright Green, office noise, especially prevalent within open-plan offices, is reportedly the factor that is most disruptive to indoor environmental quality and has been shown to increase stress and presenteeism. Listening to nature noises could be a handy solution. One study found that listening to nature sounds after completing stressful tasks led to a 9% to 37% decrease in one’s skin conductance level, a measure of the bodys stress response. [Images: Evan Wise/Unsplash, munandme/iStock/Getty Images Plus] Embrace natural patterns and decor Bochart recommends seeking out natural fractal patterns for decor, which are patterns within nature that are repeated on different scales . . . found in almost in every natural item. Science is telling us that when we’re exposed to a multitude of fractal patterns, especially at a medium density, we get positive stimulation . . . so we’re able to process information faster and in a more relaxed way, she says. I even have some seashells within my environment. Mullenix recommends considering hanging up some nature-inspired artphotos or paintings that show green forests, waterfalls, flowering plants, etc., and are rotated each season. Even images of nature can provide a boost when the real thing is hard to come by. [Images: Bofu Shaw/Unsplash] Build movement into your day Humans are not built to sit all the time. Lora Cavuoto, head of the University at Buffalos Ergonomics and Biomechanics Lab, says that staying seated at a desk for hours at a time without breaks can lead to problems like muscles, tendons, and ligaments wearing down. Cavuoto recommends building in regular breaks to get up and go get water.” It allows you to stay hydrated, she says, but it also gets you out of your seat. Get up and go to the bathroom or get coffee.
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