Archinos

An Imperial Opening

agnieszka — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:04:05 +0000

If our book encourages readers to visit the sabil-kuttab of Sultan Mustafa III and gain an appreciation of how so many diverse influences shaped its gracious architecture, it will have served its purpose – states the preface to the book The Sultan’s Fountain: An Imperial Story in Cairo, Istanbul, and Amsterdam. On 17 January 2012, this became true for a few hundred people. The official opening of the building after conservation, and the launch of the book published by the American University in Cairo Press packed the enchanting 18th-century Sinnari House in Cairo with guests: Egyptian officials and foreign diplomats, conservation professionals and students, architects, journalists, and a wider engaged audience. Visiting the recently conserved neighbouring Sultan’s Fountain was a highlight of the evening.http://www.aucpress.com/t-newsitem.aspx?NewsID=156

Private Residence, 10th of Ramadan City

agnieszka — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:46:14 +0000

The client requested for his private residence reception area to be in a contemporary, minimalist style, in natural materials and soft colours. The design focuses on the contrast of textures between rough finish of travertine and mica lining and the lustrous shine of mirrors and glass on the walls. The colours vary between off white and brown through different hues of beige.

Commissioned by: private client

2011-2012. 10th Ramadan City

Principal designer: Agnieszka Dobrowolska

Technical team: Fatma Farouk, Muhammad al-Shamy

A Boutique shop at City Stars

agnieszka — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:32:57 +0000

The design of the boutique shop selling ladies’ accessories is contemporary, using the black interior as a dramatic background to display the merchandise, which is of various colours and shapes. The use of gilded picture frames and mirrors provides atmospheric feeling which has proven very attractive to the clients.

Commissioned by: AMBER Accessories

2011, City Stars, Heliopolis, Cairo

Principal designer: Agnieszka Dobrowolska

Technical team: Fatma Farouk, Muhammad al-Shamy

The Sultan’s Fountain

agnieszka — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:55:42 +0000

ARCHINOS team is looking forward to an exciting event to come. The Sabil of Sultan Mustafa III will be officially opened to the public after its conservation was completed in 2009. This event will be accompanied by launching of the book co-authored by Agnieszka Dobrowolska and Jaroslaw Dobrowolski, The Sultan’s Fountain: An Imperial Story of Cairo, Istanbul and Amsterdam. Have a look at authors’ comments about this project:

http://www.aucpress.com/t-eNewsletter-SultanFountain-January2012.aspx?template=template_enewsletter

and join us for the opening on 17 January 2012 at 5 PM at the Sinnari House in Cairo: for the invitation click here, for location map click here.

ARCHINOS’ City Stars shop opens!

agnieszka — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:48:58 +0000

As soon as shop attendants started putting their wares on display, clients who refused to wait until the actual opening swamped the ladies’ accessories boutique with interior designed and executed by ARCHINOS in the fashionable City Stars mall in Cairo. In the dark interior, gilded picture frames are the leading theme—used as a display cases, mirror frames, or decorative motifs, and providing a dramatic background for display of the merchandise. The design was enthusiastically accepted by the owners and proves to attract the customers of the boutique.

The Sultan’s Fountain

agnieszka — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:47:06 +0000

It took a change of the title, of the cover and of the publisher, and almost two years’ delay, but it was worth waiting for: the book The Sultan’s Fountain: the Imperial Story in Cairo, Istanbul, and Amsterdam by Agnieszka Dobrowolska and Jaroslaw Dobrowolski is finally out, beautifully published by the American University in Cairo Press. It tells the fascinating story of an extraordinary building in Cairo that for 250 years has blended Egyptian, Ottoman, and Dutch cultural influences, and relates how it was recently conserved through a project affiliated to the Dutch-Flemish Institute in Cairo, financed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and directed by Agnieszka Dobrowolska, head of ARCHINOS Architecture.

http://www.aucpress.com/p-4688-the-sultans-fountain.aspx

Sophistication in Simplicity

agnieszka — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:55:18 +0000

The adaptation of an apartment in Heliopolis in Cairo for a skin care clinic has been completed on 12 September 2011. As the ARCHINOS crew moved out, medical equipment is being moved in. Varied textures and finishes of different kinds of stones quarried in the Egyptian deserts underline the expression of the new interiors, which offer diverse and visually rich perspectives in the limited space available, yet are simple enough to let the natural materials speak in their full voice, discreetly aided by purposely designed lighting.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, Leonardo da Vinci said.

Archinos in City Stars

agnieszka — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:44:26 +0000

With its 550 shops, over 1,500 rooms and suites in three international hotels, 266 apartments and penthouses, an Exhibition Centre, and 70,000 m² of office space, the City Stars complex in Cairo is a unique urban development project in the Middle East. If this trendiest mall in the city is the place to see and be seen in Cairo, why shouldn’t ARCHINOS also be present? The City Stars attract big and small businesses alike, and our recent commission in the complex belongs with the latter. It is an outlet of an Egyptian chain selling women’s accessories, and our design strives to find forms that fit both this type of merchandise, and the ambience. For ARCHINOS, no commission is too small to be given proper attention.

The Mountain House

agnieszka — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 09:53:42 +0000

Design for a house in the mountains of Floyd County, Virginia, Unites States.The design combines contemporary forms inspired by architecture of the region. It expresses the building traditions of the region in the language of contemporary architectural forms, blends into the magnificent landscape, and uses local materials to respond to climatic challenges in an environmentally-conscious way. The Mountain House will fit its spectacular setting of southern dramatic slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Area: 3,000 sq feet
Private client
2011 – ongoing
Design:
Agnieszka Dobrowolska
Technical team:
Fatma Farouk
Muhammad al-Shami

ARCHINOS goes transatlantic

agnieszka — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 09:22:54 +0000

Home is More than a Residence. This motto of ARCHINOS Architecture seems particularly appropriate for our new commission for a private house in the scenic, pristine mountain landscape of County Floyd in Virginia, US. The location on a south-facing slope offers dramatic views over the endless horizon of forest-covered hills.

The clients desire that their house expresses the building traditions of the region in the language of contemporary architectural forms, blends into the magnificent landscape, and uses local materials to respond to climatic challenges in an environmentally-conscious way. Our aim is to come up with a unique design for a Mountain House that will fit its spectacular setting.

Return to our website soon to see how the concept develops into reality.