LIVING
Dear Readers,
the summer of 2015 will stick in our memory as a very hot one – and we will always associate it with the Expo in Milan! Almost every two weeks, another member of our editorial team visited the World Exhibition and every one of us returned with very personal impressions (for example a picture in front of the selfie-mirror in the estonian pavilion). No one had seen all of it and which pavilion was the most successful one could simply not be determined. As from page 20, we have compiled the ones, which impressed us with their architecture and/or their contents – without any claim to completeness. One thing, however, is for sure: a visit to the Expo is worthwhile! You still have the opportunity until 31 October, maybe you can think about a detour on your way to your summer holiday destination! For those who absolutely do not want to visit Italy, we have a completely different recommendation! Timisoara – the third largest city of Romania, where the Romanian revolution began in 1989, is full of architectural and interior design surprises. In his profound and entertaining contribution “A weekend in… Timisoara” (starting on page 56), Rudolf Gräf, co-founder of the Timisoara-based architectural office Vitamin A and Vice-President of the Romanian Chamber of Architects guides you through his adopted home town and illustrates how good life is in this city today. This is also the topic of our comprehensive main section (as from page 100) in our AIT issue on housing. It is out of question that living is very pleasant in the apartment in Turin, the refurbished apartment in Lisbon, the eccentric holiday home in London, the villa in Ljubljana, the stacked up loft in Stuttgart or the converted barn in Gerswald. The common feature of all of them: unusual conditions require unusual solutions and provide a plethora of stimulations for your residential projects. Good (interior) architecture is also achieved when incorporating good products – our product focus starting on page 84 highlights innovative solutions in the fields of switches and door communication systems and provides ideas for kitchen designs. The latest news from the luminaire industry – the highlights of the Lighting Fair Euroluce – can be discovered as from page 28. Interior designer Heiko Gruber visited the trade fair with us and commented on his favourite products!
Best wishes
Petra Stephan, Dipl.-Ing.
Chief Editor
Architect