News

Kraus Schönberg Architects

Starchitecture is a thing of the past – Tobias Kraus and Timm Schönberg are down to earth, in a likeable way. The success of their "wooden crystal” residential building in Hamburg catapulted the duo to the upper echelons of the international architecture scene. This, however, has not prevented them from setting up office within view of the current building site so that they can work with the developers to achieve the best possible result.

“Globe”, from the Swarovski Crystal Palace collection, sets Viktor & Rolf Spring/Summer 2010 show aglow

Dutch artists Studio Job designed the set for the Spring/Summer 2010 show by fashion designers Viktor & Rolf, which took place in Paris on October 3rd.

For a new light experience: The latest STRASS® Swarovski® Crystal products

With its modern, clear cut, the new STRASS® Boomerang combines elegance with dynamism and expression. Boomerang was developed specially for Crystal Strands, and as the components are made up of two Crystal Strands, they can be better woven to form a surface. Boomerang can be employed independently and in alternating fashion, creating a range of different structures and effects.

Crystal Talk: BauNetz meets Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Elizabeth Diller and her two partners Ricardo Scofidio and Charles Renfro have no intention of making a decision between art and architecture – they are researchers, their studio is a laboratory for alternative construction concepts and at the same time a field of experimentation for media art.

Improving our service to you: Even more information at www.architecture.swarovski.com

Luxury in London: The Mansion, Hampstead

The Mansion, designed by Anil and Marisa Varma (Harrison Varma architects) offers everything you could possibly want in terms of luxury housing, featuring eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, six reception rooms, a cinema, indoor pool, gymnasium and beauty salon. There is also a bar, wine cellar, underground garage and staff apartment.

Above the rooftops of LA: The glittering swimming pool at the Thompson Beverly Hills

For a year now, LA has offered its guests a new attraction, or at least those staying at the Thompson Beverly Hills hotel: a roof terrace with a unique 6x11-metre pool.

Design as an art form: Lolita by Ron Arad at the MoMa, New York

Currently running at the Museum of Modern Art in New York until 19 October is a retrospective of internationally renowned designer and architect Ron Arad, entitled “Ron Arad: No Discipline”. Included in the exhibition is Lolita, the avant-garde chandelier Ron Arad created in 2004 for Swarovski's Crystal Palace Collection, and which has since been shown around the world from Venice to Tokyo, Miami and Paris.

CRYSTAL TALK: About ecological building and chic oasis architecture

In Al Ain, two hours by car from Dubai, a Berlin company has just completed its biggest project to date – the conversion of a historical fort into a museum. Eike Roswag, Christof Ziegert and Uwe Seiler are currently planning a luxurious restaurant made of earth in Abu Dhabi, and in cooperation with Anna Heringer, the award-winning Meti School was built in Bangladesh.

Crystal Talk: BauNetz meets "querkraft"

The term "quer" is literally translated as diagonal in English, though in German it is also synonymous with a sense of construction, assertion, multi-disciplinary work, non-conformity and even rebellion. "kraft" translates as strength, though is associated with youth, power, reliability, sustainability and originality.

A luxurious location: the Cavalli Club opens in Dubai

The recently opened Cavalli Club in Dubai offers everything you could possibly need: a place for meeting like-minded individuals, shopping and enjoying culinary delights. What's more, it features a uniquely inspiring atmosphere, created in no small part by the use of countless eye-catching STRASS® Crystals as sparkling accents in the entrance area and in its bars and lounges.

Innovative materials in Milan: CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements at MaterialConneXion®

MaterialConneXion® is a platform for innovative materials and processes, and is a hugely important source of inspiration and information for designers, architects and businesses. Since the opening of its Milan office in 2002, increasing numbers of companies have collaborated with the platform to get an overview of the wide variety of innovative materials available.

Centering on the chaton: Swarovski Crystal Palace "Osmosis" by Arik Levy

"Crystal is not an object, it is an idea," comments artist and designer Arik Levy. Through his "Osmosis" exhibition, he aims to draw attention to crystal, and offer playful access to new crystalline forms. And this is exactly what he achieved in Milan.

The talk of the show: Swarovski Architectural Elements at Euroluce

Swarovski's new Architectural Elements also made their global debut in Milan. These innovative components offer architects, interior designers and designers a host of new possibilities for combining light, architecture and crystal.

Augmented reality: experience a new dimension

An enticing line up: the latest innovations in Milan 

At this year's Euroluce, Swarovski light and crystal were once more inextricably linked with outstanding design ideas and concepts.

Alongside select crystal objects from the Swarovski Crystal Palace collection, Swarovski presented its unique "Architectural Elements" - a selection of design items that integrate perfectly into interior spaces, delighting all those attending the event. A wide range of new luminaires using crystal also generated considerable interest.

Creative collaboration

Cut crystal harbours undreamt-of possibilities – many of which still await discovery. In order to tap ever more into the potential of this extraordinary material, Swarovski not only works with internationally renowned designers, but also supports projects involving students from such widely acclaimed institutions as the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Crystal Gloss: New sealing technology with optimal light refraction

Crystal is being applied in interiors more than ever before – and that in more diverse and elaborate ways. Crystal Gloss is a two-component sealing compound especially developed by Swarovski, which preserves the optical brilliance of inlaid and sealed CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements in a hitherto unmatched level of quality.

Light Art: James Turrell takes advantage of the optical perfection provided by SWAROVSKI OPTIK

An optical delight thanks to maximum precision: both American light artist James Turrell and SWAROVSKI OPTIK can justly make this claim. An extraordinary work of art created by James Turrell in close collaboration with SWAROVSKI OPTIK makes that perfectly clear. Now, this piece is a part of his new presentation at the Centre for Light Art in Unna (North Rhine-Westphahlia, Germany).

Euroluce 2009: Swarovski Lighting and Swarovski Crystal Palace

During April, Swarovski will once again participate in EUROLUCE in Milan, where the company’s latest innovations will be on show for architects, light designers and experts from around the world. We invite you to come to visit us at the world’s largest lighting exhibition.

Frozen® Ice Bar Lech: Unbroken enthusiasm for Crystal in Ice

A third consecutive year of ever-growing enthusiasm only goes to demonstrate this unique project’s success. During winter in Lech am Arlberg, Austria, Swarovski crystal elements are frozen in ice and brilliantly presented with the aid of coloured light. Swarovski Crystal Panels built into walls of ice create kaleidoscopic effects, simultaneously fusing crystal, state-of-the-art technology and natural ice blocks.

A superlative sparkling appearance of the superlative kind: Swarovski at the 2009 Academy Awards Ceremony 

More than 87,000 STRASS® Swarovski® crystals were joined into 6,000 different one-metre-long Crystal Strands, which were arranged to form an enormous stage installation of roughly 18 metres high and 30 metres wide – with a total weight of approximately 3 tonnes.

Crystal Talk: BauNetz talks to Ben van Berkel

Is the entrance to Ben van Berkel’s UNStudio in Amsterdam just as spectacular as his architecture? Perhaps a complex space continuum screwed into the depths of the building or a flowing connection of all four floors? Is the office constructed as an endless Möbius strip, or perhaps as a two-room helix with long ramps?

Sofitel Hotel, Heathrow Terminal 5  

Ultra-luxury travel is now a key travel trend throughout the world, and is characterised by such features as extremely comfortable arrivals, premium personal service and high-end materials and designs. Thanks to the Swarovski Bathroom, guests at London’s exclusive Sofitel London Heathrow Hotel, a true oasis of luxury and rejuvenation, can now enjoy an enhanced personal travel experience.

European Hotel Design Awards 2008  

Their renovation of the Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich earned Foster + Partners the European Hotel Design Award 2008 in the “Best Architecture” category. We congratulate the architecture firm on this prestigious win and are proud that the Dolder Grand’s newly design interior makes extensive use of Swarovski crystal.