a+u 630 23:03 Heatherwick Studio

a+u's March issue features Heatherwick Studio. Founded in 1994 by British designer Thomas Heatherwick, the studio works on projects of various typologies and scales through investigating the possibilities of materials while focusing on their 3-dimensional design. Their work is consistent with their principles of having "empathy for materials," to understand the soul of the materials by touching and feeling them sincerely. Heatherwick's belief that buildings should be approached with the same attitude he treats fine craftsmanship is evident in the 18 projects featured in this issue. His ideas, which shift between the scale of the hand and the building, manifest themselves in many of his designs, most notably the UK Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, which looks like a plant seed resting on the riverbank, and Little Island in New York where flowerpots form a landscape. Text in English and Japanese.