The lighting in mega-chain economy hotels is rarely inspiring. Harsh fluorescents and unflattering overheads dominate; regardless of the time of day or night, the brightness is glaring. Tapped to imagine the interiors of a new Shanghai outpost of Ji Hotel — an H World International economy hotel brand with 2,000 locations across China — local firm Vermilion Zhou Design Group created a bespoke lighting scheme that not only vastly improves upon corporate chain standards but also elevates the guest experience.
Jointly led by founder and lighting design director Vera Chu, creative director Kuang Ming (Ray) Chou and interior design director Garvin Hung, Vermilion’s approach centred on an intelligent, manually controlled,...
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- #307
- Sept/Oct 2024
- In the projects we feature throughout this edition, we hope to expand the definition of culture as it’s normally viewed in the realm of institutional architecture — and to hone in on works that stretch design’s possibilities in housing these new expressions.
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- #306
- Jul/Aug 2024
- Our AZ Awards 2024 edition praises excellence across the many disciplines of design, as awarded by the renowned members of our jury and recognized by the People’s Choice vote.
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- #304
- May/June 2024
- If two realms of work can be said to occupy opposite sides of the spectrum, they might be the industrial factory and the A.I. company. Standout examples of both types of workplace are featured in our latest issue.
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- #303
- Mar/Apr 2024
- Simply put, this issue argues that we need more options, in everything from housing to healthcare to education. Can we create more options for how we house ourselves? For how we approach the housing and care needs of our aging populations who are especially fragile? For how we teach architecture to begin with?
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- #302
- Jan/Feb 2024
- In this issue, we highlight homes that encourage personal expression and communal engagement — all of them specific to their particular contexts.
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- #301
- Nov/Dec 2023
- In the magazine world, there is always the temptation to identify “emerging talents” or “change agents,” to seek people at the tipping point of their careers, before they are known entities. With AZURE’s Nov/Dec 2023 issue, we tried to move past these marketing hooks to shine a light on people doing great work that we wanted to tip our hats to.
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- #300
- Sept/Oct 2023
- In our 300th issue, we look at the rich history of social housing in Vienna, exciting new commercial developments in Detroit, and how Naples has put art and architecture at the centre of its subway expansion.
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- #299
- July/August 2023
- Throughout the pages of this AZ Awards issue, you will encounter marvels that boldly address both problems and possibilities.
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- #298
- May/June 2023
- The expectation that people will keep their heads down at their workstations from nine to five with the occasional jaunt to the water cooler or sojourn in a group meeting has gone the way of the cubicle. Offices, post-lockdown, need to be places that provide mental and spiritual sustenance. And those featured in this issue do exactly that.
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- #297
- Mar/Apr 2023
- In assembling the stories in this issue about circular design, one word kept coming up: value. By rethinking “value,” we’re also reclaiming our own values. If we want to strive for a healthier planet, one that is more ethical and sustainable, we have several examples to follow — and this issue is brimming with them.
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- #296
- Jan/Feb 2023
- In preparing this edition of Azure, the first of the year and the latest of our popular annual houses issues, we sought out to present a diversity of typologies.
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- #295
- Nov/Dec 2022
- When we think about home, we often think of its comforts — especially during the winter months. How can we craft interiors to maximize a sense of spiritual warmth? The stories in this issue present a myriad of approaches to sculpting space within a range of footprints.
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