AZURE

Lively, fresh, forward-looking, but also socially relevant — this defines Azure, the leading design publication covering the expanding world of international contemporary architecture and design. Each issue delivers readers inspiring ideas and cutting-edge innovations, from state-of-the-art green building to the latest in furniture and home accessories from around the globe.

AZURE

Close Encounters • A floating installation got pulses racing at a U.K. music festival by tapping into the heartbeat of the forest

5 Things We Learned from Rachel Gotlieb • The curator of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts design collection discusses bird’s nest seating and Bixi bikes

Infrastructure Upgrades • Gutsy furniture modelled after architecture’s inner workings kept France’s design festival operating like a well-oiled machine

Chef d’Oeuvre • Gaggenau’s portfolio of luxury appliances is a culinary masterpiece

Gifts for… The Urbanist • Set them up to conquer their studio commute by hitting the pavement in austere architectural style (meaning, yes, all black)

Gifts for… 2 The Hospitality Expert • They might specialize in evenings out, but every now and then, even a restaurant designer appreciates the value of dining in

Gifts for… The Power Clasher • Expand their personal material library with glamorous designs decked in daring, maximalist patterns

Going Mobile • Herzog & de Meuron and Piet Oudolf place architecture, landscaping and Alexander Calder’s beloved sculptures into shared orbit

Command Performance • In Quebec, ACDF Architecture devises a scene-stealing kitchen that embraces its surroundings

Food Stations • Turn backyards into al fresco dining destinations with outdoor kitchens that pack performance into a stunning form

Family Matters • A renovation of a historic home infuses the kitchen with a strong connection to the outdoors and a practical kid-friendly layout

Hot Spots • The latest cooking appliances deliver both advanced performance and professional style

Making It Real • The National Hardwood Lumber Association champions the sustainability — and beauty — of natural wood in an elegant new publication

Striving for Clarity • While paying homage to the best moves in the German auto company’s glorious past, Audi Concept C ushers in a bold future for EV excellence

The Urban Edges • What can we learn from Mexico’s investment in neglected urban spaces? ANA KARINA ZATARAIN speaks with architect and urban planner Román Meyer Falcón about the Programa de Mejoramiento Urbano, a once-in-a-lifetime government program that has returned 1,300 public spaces to the people

Another government-run program takes up the torch

Sustainable Heritage • Italgraniti is leading the global ceramics industry with a holistic emphasis on sustainability, aesthetics and workplace well-being

TIMBER LAND • From downtown Toronto to the Oak Ridges Moraine, a pair of mass timber academic buildings — by Moriyama Teshima Architects and Montgomery Sisam, respectively — take sustainable design to a new peak.

Living Lab • Long before its completion, Limberlost Place was already a code-shifting precedent for mass timber construction in Canada. Now, architecture students at George Brown College can finally experience — and learn from — its innovative design first-hand

Cardinal Directions • A sociable dormitory and learning commons, Montgomery Sisam’s Koffler Scientific Reserve is a surprisingly intimate marriage of sustainable building science and agrarian vernacular

Architecture for Elephants • As the Bangkok-based visionary behind the Elephant World project, Boonserm Premthada seeks to build an architecture that embraces the wild and breathes new life into...