Architecture’s Hybrid Typology| Apple’s new San Francisco store | Luxe Residences| Digital Potency & Art| and more

This week the onus is on new typologies, new avenues and refreshed way-findings. As we browse through the projects, we see how Ar. Mahesh Punjabi infuses the apartment with understated luxe levels cleverly and comfortably combining quirk with chic; Arquitectura en Movimiento Workshop refurbishes this Mexico apartment by stripping open the old and rejuvenating it with an amalgamation of the new; or for that matter, the hybrid typology of the Aarhus School of Architecture", where a contemporary architectural typology plays with existing old buildings… The language of design is continuously being reinvented with newer insights and experiential leanings. On this note, we announce our Colour Special issue spread over the coming week, where renowned award-winning Colour Expert, Tokyo-based French Ar. Emmanuelle Moureaux has very kindly consented to be our Guest Editor. Emmanuelle is particularly known for creating the concept of shikiri, which literally means "dividing (creating) space with colours". She uses colours as three-dimensional elements, like layers, in order to create spaces, not as a finishing touch applied on surfaces. So as we showcase the myriad qualities of colour and its native existence, Emmanuelle will equip our readers with some expert advice and her insights. Warmly, Savitha Hira Editor

Multifunctional Spaces| Flirting with glamour| Party all night| Amortising brand costs and more

In our selection of stories this week, we observe a common thread – design empowers. Whether it’s GESAMT Design’s residential layout that uses sliding partitions to camouflage or open up space, adding character to a space with each new configuration; or it is Ben Rousseau’s modern refurbishment of a classic Victorian interior; whether it is the coloured mirror by Elliott Barnes or the pragmatic plug-and-play that Zero 9 proposes for the expo pavilion, the interpretation and deliverance of the program goes much beyond its immediate application. It alludes to a cultural shift, a changing mindset! Interestingly nuanced, each story inspires, gives ideas galore... leaves a trail. Check them out and leave us your feedback. Warmly, Savitha Hira Editor

How far will architecture adopt technology? |Fond memories of late artist A A Raiba| How to have new furniture everyday | and more

We are all in the throes of constantly emerging technologies, where tools are taking over the entire process of communication, facilitating speedy, effective coordination that directly promotes productivity. Yet, in this rat race for the better and then the best, are we actually complicating our lives or simplifying them? Are we losing the pleasures of personal interaction with the so-called hi-tech communication strategies that impersonally get the ball rolling? Is that the only end goal – productivity?! Chew on it. Lap up some excellent design stories with Smarin’s DIY furniture kit, a plush home in the Big Apple and a plush office in Kolkata; besides getting to know more about how NBBJ Architects are developing virtual and augmented reality tools for optimum architectural building construction. Do write in Warmly, Savitha Hira Editor

A flat water-bottle for your pocket| Denmark’s gravity-defying cantilevered museum | Glass Art for stylish urbane decor| and more

We spoke of equanimity last week and here we have a cover story that absolutely fits the bill. S+PS Architects’ design for this home is a well-thought-out exercise in reviving the charm of yesteryears in today’s context; and very successfully indeed. Their design is contemporised so it blends in comfortably in the now, whilst evoking a subtle rootedness. When a designer considers the humane approach above all else, the design is invariably a success! Sensitivity in design is seen in the Glifo writing and drawing tools that are designed to empower neurologically challenged children. They address multiple brain-related pathologies in a very gentle and disarming manner and succeed at the tough goal of rehabilitation of these patients. Our other stories for you include glass art by Dubai-based Anjali Srinivasan’s glass art studio ChoChoMa; gravity-defying cantilever for a rock museum; young photographer Ganji’’s lens-scapes in magnificent Iran and renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma’s latest ‘slice’ of high-rise architecture. Don’t forget to read about the ingeniously designed Memobottle. Wonder why no one thought of this earlier! Enjoy the issue. Warmly, Savitha Hira Editor

Jawahar Kala Kendra revitalised| Origami – much more than paper art | Coastal Sardenia’s luxury villa| Tomorrow’s spaces| and more

There is a holistic approach to design. Increasingly, seamlessness is being nurtured. Crossovers are being engineered. The focus is on accomplishing something new, something different. It is not a mindset wanting to break free; neither does this seemingly new trend of sorts stem from a rejection of hitherto practised design processes or methodologies. It is but a response to contemporary times, attempting to keep pace with unexplored iterations. So we have the art of origami fusing with the built form as facade; fusing with attire in fashion design; we have spaces emoting – as in the school for tomorrow and the sensitive cancer centre in Manchester; we also see character sensitivity in the renovation exercise at Jawahar Kala Kendra. If on one hand, we see a world of misery, cruelty, brazenness; on another, there surely exists compassion and humaneness. In creativity lies equanimity. We look forward to your feedback. Warmly, Savitha Hira Editor