Contract Magazine - December 2018 - 48

Where do we go from
here?
As we look to the near future, we contemplate the most important factors that
are affecting our lives. To begin that conversation, we asked 22 architects and designers
what they consider the most important building, interior, product, event, or concept
of 2018 that will have ramifications for the future. Their varied and thought-provoking
responses highlight some of the most relevant and exciting ideas that are shaping
the world in which we live, work, and design.

The new piazza at Apple
Piazza Liberty, just off
the Corso Vittorio Emanuele,
one of Milan's most popular
streets, is open 24 hours a day,
and serves as Apple's own
sort of community space,
hosting events all throughout
the year.

Apple continues to innovate
in store design.
The astonishing exterior of this
Apple retail space in Milan continues
the brand's trailblazing innovation
in store design. The trifecta of
transparency, materiality, and nature
represented in glass, stone, and
water creates visual interest in what
is seen, aural interest in what is heard,
and piques one's curiosity in what
is unseen: the store. Submerged
under a newly designed plaza, this
future vision for retail solves a spatial
issue in a crowded city by burying
the selling space, yet provides
a window to product by sharing
a sliver of light to the flashing action
below ground via apertures in the
plaza floor itself. The aboveground
space is active both day and night,
forming a new intersection point
for the brand with an ancient city;
people sit, snack, bike, and interact
with one another-all of which
is reflected in the polished glass
of the Apple cube.
-Ray Ehscheid, Principal, IA INTERIOR
ARCHITECTS

48

Scaled-up and innovative water
solutions can combat climate change.
The 2018 XPrize winner, the Skysource/
Skywater Alliance, creates drinking
water by condensing water vapor
from the air with solutions powered by
solar energy or biofuels such as wood
chips, coconut husks, and grass clippings.
I live in Cape Town, which nearly
ran out of water last May but was
temporarily saved by heavy rainfall.
Many other areas of the world are also
drought-stricken, and water shortages
will only get worse with climate
change. Skywater can be a fantastic
sustainable solution, if it can be
scaled up and incorporated directly
into architecture.
-Charrisse Johnston, FASID, Assoc. AIA,
LEED AP, Principal, StudioSALT
Authenticity can help heal our souls.
The most important design concern
from 2018 is a pervasive longing for
authentic connection. People are
exhausted by the tribal rage of recent
elections and alienation of social media.
It's time for designers to help heal the
American soul. We must create inclusive
workplaces, diverse neighborhoods,

Venice Beach, Californiabased Skysource/Skywater
Alliance was named the
2018 Water Abundance
XPRIZE winner, receiving
a grand prize of $1.5M
for developing an easily
deployable high-volume
water generator that can
be used in any climate.

and public spaces that promote
authentic, face-to-face relationships.
-Elizabeth Lowrey, IIDA, RDI, Principal,
ELKUS MANFREDI ARCHITECTS

In an age of turbulent times,
memorials have the ability to heal
us and teach us about who we are.
We are experiencing turbulent times
as our government and nation are more
divided than ever. Architects and
designers have the ability to move, heal,
and teach us how to move forward.
The National Memorial for Peace and
Justice, by MASS Design Group and
contractdesign.com

DECEM BER 2018

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF APPLE (TOP LEFT)

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Contract Magazine - December 2018

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