Packages Editor’s Choice Package 4,995 GBP- Only One Available Main front cover image & headline 4-page article 2 bespoke trophies Wall plaque Personalised digital logo Personalised digital certificate 8-page digital e-magazine with 100 prints dedicated solely to your company Double page spread in a future issue of BUILD Shipping included 11 10 BUILD Q4 2022 Q4 2022 BUILD May22497 UILD Editor Sofi Bajor talks to Karen Schwichtenberg, the 2022 winner of Germany’s Best female-run Architecture Practice, about what makes a great home. As you have lived in Tokyo where you worked for architect and Pritzker laureate Kazuyo Sejima, what would you say influences you from Japanese homes? And do you bring these elements into your residential designs? Japan is one of the most densely populated countries, and the Greater Tokyo Area is the largest metropolitan area in the world. Space is scarce and expensive. I would imagine this is why Japanese architects have a long tradition of turning small rooms into great spaces – regardless of their actual size. You mention simplicity – would you describe your home designs as minimalism? It is not that I prefer minimalism for the sake of clean lines and an uncluttered aesthetic. Rather I am always thinking long term – how will this look in ten or twenty years? I want to create something the client falls in love with and wants to have around for a long time. This leads naturally to highquality and long lasting materials. During the design process we reduce the decor, the number of materials and finishes to find the essential pieces for each project. Let’s talk about your own home: What is it like? Our home was built in 1907. The plank flooring on the ground, and first floor, is still the first flooring, and there is original stucco on the ceilings. Apart from that, the entire house was in B a miserable state when we found it and needed a lot of work to be done. What do you like most about your home? Probably the windows. Originally, the rooms were not well-lit and they had this depressed feel to them. I added a lot more windows and glass doors connecting the interior with the garden. Now the rooms are bright and airy. The entire house is a tribute to light. What advice would you give someone who wants to build or refurbish their home? Find an architect who shares the same wavelength and let them bring your ideas to a whole new level. Karen Schwichtenberg Architektin, Hamburg www. schwichtenberg-architektin.de www.instagram.com/schwichtenbergarchitektin Jun22327 Best Bespoke LED Lighting Solutions Manufacturer 2022 In the fast-growing LED lighting industry, LEDCONN is one of the few companies who can provide bespoke lighting in material art form. The company’s reputation as an LED lighting project leader is steadily growing and with very good reason. While LEDCONN’s forte is backlighting and edge-lit illumination, they are certainly capable of so much more. EDCONN can create exceptional illumination for any architectural applications or commercial spaces, accent or signage lighting, needs for retail displays & environments or exhibits. They are proud to make the designer’s vision come to life. When it comes to architectural lighting, the LED has brought flexibility and creativity into what once was a single light source solution. Illumination with LEDs opens up a lighting designer’s mind and brings myriad opportunities to combine both light and design. No company has taken greater advantage of these opportunities than LEDCONN. Based in the West Coast of the US, with production facilities locally and abroad in China, LEDCONN focuses on creative LED lighting solutions that bring illumination into every space. Whether designing for small or large spaces, using shades of white or single to multi-colored hues, the company is bringing a more creative approach to standard space lighting. The LEDCONN team brings the visions of architects and lighting designers to life. When a project is presented to the company, the real work begins. LEDCONN assesses each project and approaches it in true bespoke form. Every vision is different and every visionary sees their projects from a different perspective. This is where LEDCONN excels. Due to the intense focus on the project’s design, LEDCONN tries to get as involved as early in the process as possible. As a premiere LED lighting solutions provider, the company is in partnership with the designer to ensure that the creative vision is understood and will become a physical reality. With an internal on-hand Project Management team, LEDCONN is able to help streamline the entire process for everyone involved so that the project moves as smoothly as possible, ensuring no detail is left untouched. Once a design has been created, LEDCONN will most often recommend a mock-up design to test the quality and success of the final project. Not only does this work to ensure that every facet of the project is working to perfection, the mock-up provides the client with a first look at their overall vision. If a change needs to be made, this is where the client will make it. With over 14 years of experience in bespoke LED lighting for many types of architectural and commercial projects, LEDCONN is very experienced in knowing what is and what isn’t achievable with its products. When installation day approaches, depending on the nature of the project and product selected, LEDCONN is unique in L that it works with the contractors to help them understand how to manage the installation. It makes the process as easy as possible for them by providing electrical and wiring diagrams that clearly explain how to organise the product and wire them perfectly and expertly. For certain projects, LEDCONN will send an engineering team to help onsite depending on the complexity of the chosen product or project. At the end of the day, the company assures its customers and partners that they are working with a partner that is professional, creative and detail oriented. Also, they know that LEDCONN is an exceptional lighting manufacturer who knows their needs and how to bring the project to fruition. LEDCONN understands lighting can be very confusing, and so the company portrays itself as expert gurus who exist to serve and facilitate the smoothest spec-to-install process for its customers. The company can even provide aftercare support with the purchase of its products because it knows it is important to be available to its customers even after the job is finished. LEDCONN plans to continue to focus on bespoke LED lighting solutions for their clients while maintaining their existing high standards. The company will work on improving existing processes and products while upholding its high service level and high product quality. Company: LEDCONN Contact: Sherry Cummings Email: [email protected] Website: www.ledconn.com Feeling at home BUILD Q4 2022 Q4 2022 BUILD 6 7 Jul22631 he challenge of working in design and construction often goes beyond the practicalities of delivery. With enough resources, anything can be built in almost any timeframe. What sets the good apart from the best, therefore, is the ability to create a stunning result that meets a specific set of needs on a predetermined budget. More than simply overcoming logistical issues, Ei Construcción has thrived thanks to an approach which always takes the needs of the client into account. Right from the start, it’s worth considering that the Ei Construcción team often don’t go out to tender for a project. Their skill and ingenuity are renowned throughout the industry, giving the team the ability to very much choose what projects they undertake. Clients often come to them with exciting ideas that they develop and collaborate on. Key to what Ei Construcción bring to any job is an innovative edge that sets them apart from the competition. With 32 years of experience in the industry, there are very few challenges they haven’t faced, and even fewer they have yet to overcome. The team’s incredible skill has reached out into bold new areas, with the team offering their services in Mexico, Texas and New Mexico. If a project involves design, construction, and facilities contracts, Ei Construcción has the technical ability to make it work. The immense value that they bring to any project is clear from the way in which they are such effective collaborators. Over the years, the team has learned that the easiest way to guarantee 100% satisfaction is to make sure that everybody’s expectations are the same. The time spent perfecting a design on paper is saved tenfold once the construction process begins. New projects showcase the attitude of the Ei Construcción team particularly well, especially the way in which they investigate and integrate the ideas behind the building. For them, the client’s brief is only one part of the puzzle. Just as important is understanding precisely what is required of them once the project has been complete so that the team is able to incorporate the right features in the best possible way. To provide continuous feedback, the team undertake a process of constantly referring back to the clients. By the end of the design process, the team will have all the information they need to bring their projects into startling reality. When it comes to building new and innovative projects, one that has achieved acclaim is the Founder’s freight terminal. The Ei Construcción team was responsible for the design and development of this impressive structure, specifically T With an eye for innovation at all times, Ei Construcción has made a name for itself as a leading provider of design and construction services. Their collaborative spirit stands apart from the crowd. With such success behind them in the Construction and Engineering Awards, we thought it time to dig a little deeper into the secrets of this intrepid team’s many and remarkable achievements. Best Cross-Border Industrial/ Commercial Infrastructure Construction - USA-Mexico tailored towards the needs of truck drivers. It was funded by Transportes Soto e Hijos, a firm which has long committed to offering an exceptional transport service to the people of Mexico. They wanted a building to act as a flagship for their services, and the spearhead for their move into the US market. A team of experts were assembled to act as consultants on the projects, including truck drivers, a truck designer, trucks workshop mechanics, hoist experts, compressor experts, warehouse managers and experts in the logistics of moving goods across international borders. This pool of knowledge was an invaluable guide as the Ei Construcción team began to develop their plans. On their side, Ei Construcción employed the services of a lighting designer, a skylight expert, solar energy expert, security and communication systems expert, internet expert and furniture expert to work alongside the standard design team of a civil engineer, architects, structural engineer, electrical and mechanical engineer and the landscaping designer. This ensured that whilst the project would fulfil the unique requirements demanded of it, it would also be able to lead the way in terms of green technology. Sustainable principles drive a lot of what the Ei Construcción design team does, with a desire to take care of Mother Earth at the heart of many of their decisions. Any construction project will disturb the balance of the world, but there are choices which can be made to make the impact as small as possible. The less damage done, the better. To this end, on this project, the team have sought to make the most of the potential of solar panels, lighting controls and skylights that do not transmit heat, and so consume as little energy as possible. The success of these decisions will become clear as the building enters operation. The facility is forecast to use only 20% of the energy supplied by El Paso Electric compared to a building with similar capacities. Of course, solar panels are only one aspect of sustainability, and what elevates the Ei Construcción team is their holistic approach to the matter. The team try on every project to incorporate various different ways of securing sustainability. This might mean reusing water where possible, as well as designing gardens so they use as little water as possible. Whilst delayed considerably as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the new freight terminal is set to be an incredible success for the firm. It embraces the potential of modern technology and the ideas that people will want to see in the future. One of the best examples of this is the way in which the team have explored the needs of future generations. To find ways of ensuring that they work comfortably, the team included a flexible open work area which gives ease of communication and possibilities of different work and leisure positions. They also designed an area in the landscape specially for meditation and praying, calling it “El Jardin de los Olivos” or “The Olive Garden” Now complete, it’s clear that the truck terminal meets the high standards that the Transportes Soto e Hijos team had dreamed of. Despite taking two years to complete, the quality imbued at each stage of the design and construction process is obvious. Now, the terminal stands apart as an example of a worldclass facility for truck drivers and for the staff who work there. Since opening its doors, the team’s hard work has been justly recognised as one of the best facilities in the region. The success of this project was not always guaranteed, with the team forced to stop work just before construction because of the COVID-19 pandemic. People were severely restricted in how they could live and work. Whilst the team were quickly able to continue on the project as it was infrastructure, the completion was delayed significantly because of the unforeseen
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