When assessing F22 Foto Space, Benoit
Steenackers of Hermès was specifically
impressed by ‘the way the stairs wear
over time, the execution and the amount
of detailing’.EXECUTIONAL
Best Craftsmanship
F22 FOTO SPACE BY LAAB ARCHITECTS
AND CARLOW ARCHITECTURE & DESIGNlots of local artisans. Although the resulting
space is pleasant with its impressive, crafted
details, the jury felt the way that the crafts
were applied was a bit too generic. Steenack-
ers: ‘I don’t think it pushes the boundaries of
craftsmanship any further.’
Ik Lab in Tulum, designed by
Eduardo Neira (aka Roth), evoked a com-
pletely different discussion. It is an impres-
sive, organically shaped artisanal temple
that is used as a gallery. Bethan Laura Wood:
‘There is something so bonkers about this
project.’ Here, human handicraft obviously
ruled supreme. But is the way in which the
designers introduced traditional knowledge
into their spatial design ground-breaking?
Inspiring to the hospitality industry?
Hernández Palacios: ‘The protagonist of this
project is the artisan.’‘It’s about doing it in the right way, to under-
stand how to work with it,’ said Steenack-
ers, ‘and in terms of craftsmanship that is
certainly the case in F22 Foto Space by LAAB
Architects and Carlow Architecture & Design.
The way the stairs wear over time, the execu-
tion and the amount of detailing.’ Marcelis:
‘Amazing that this exists, with so many hours
of human handwork in it.’ ‘Craftsmanship is
also about how difficult it is to find someone
to do it,’ reflected Steenackers on the subject.
In that respect, having to judge these very
different projects without knowing their full
background stories probably made this the
hardest category of all. – AO
laab.proPEOPLE'S VOTE
3D Interior by DUS ArchitectsHONG KONG – What, in an era driven by
technology, meets the definition of new,
innovative craftsmanship? Can it be a
digital material project, like DUS Architects’
nominated interior suggests? An interest-
ing proposition. But how do you qualify
craftsmanship in this context? Craftsman-
ship is about know-how and the way you
use technology,’ said Benoit Steenackers of
Hermès. ‘Is the craftsmanship in the finish-
ing? In the expertise? Can you recognize it in
the outcome of the project?’ Masquespacio’s
Ana Milena Hernández Palacios: ‘I think it
could be about craftsmanship if they created
the flooring digitally, but piece by piece.’
Steenackers: ‘It’s not an aesthetic
issue. Craftsmanship is really linked to
people.’ For cooking school Kochakademie
Schörgau, Pedevilla Architects brought inCo
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FRAME AWARDS 2019 137