Ark Journal 8

The homes selected for this issue, from Los Angeles to a small city in Northern Italy and from Copenhagen to Brussels, open new perspectives on the culture of specific sites and how the houses relate to their surroundings. John Pawson’s house for Michael Maharam is entirely built from stone from the mountainous site and its liveable minimalism creates a dialogue between nature, architecture and the occupants. Similarly, Kim Rahbek Hansen’s summer house on the island of Falster by Terese Erngaard of Swiss practice Diener & Diener, tells beautifully of finding the right place on the margin between land and sea. Also lapped by waves, in Helsinki, a sauna pivots between private and public life for Finnish architect Tuomas Toivonen and Japanese designer Nene Tsuboi, who are creators and custodians of this contemplative but communal space.

A multitude of creativity, languages and origins comes together in this issue. Among others we meet the multidisciplinary designer Raf Simon in conversation with curator and design director Marco Sammicheli. Also bridging fashion, art and design Ann Demeulemeester and her partner and collaborator Patrick Robyn share their four decade-long creative journey.