Led by directors in Sydney, Stuttgart and Berlin, LAVA is an architectural practice that uses cutting-edge technology to create a more human architecture.
LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architecture) is an international architecture practice run by three partners – Chris Bosse, based in Sydney; Tobias Wallisser in Stuttgart; and Alexander Rieck in Berlin. The focus of the practice has always been firmly planted in the future – focusing architecture at the forefront of society and exploring technology and its relationship with nature. “Architecture is not just the production of buildings, of square metres of space,” says Bosse. “If it’s just square metres, then there’s no idea, there’s no cultural contribution, there’s no value added. We want to create architecture using current technologies, but while also thinking about the future.”
The practice undertakes a wide range of work, including projects that explore the use of new technologies. Two such examples are the Future Home, a model of future residential living that fuses nature and technology on a shopping mall rooftop in Beijing; and the Future Hotel; a capsule hotel room that uses cutting-edge technology to create a room that is designed for the human body.
International architectural projects that LAVA has worked on include the winning scheme for the National Stadium in Addis Ababa and the JeJu Hills Resort in Korea, as well as the Beyreuth Youth Hostel in Germany, which is now under construction. The Philips Lighting Headquarters in Eindhoven was also completed in 2016.
Smaller projects, such as the Green Void, an installation in Sydney’s Customs House; the Martian Embassy, an interior for the Sydney Story Factory; and the Chinese New Year origami tiger sculptures, which have traversed the globe, have allowed the firm to gain recognition in the short-term. “Larger projects, even if they’re run really well, take five years or more – they start, stop, change,” explains Bosse. “The smaller projects give you more opportunity to test and develop ideas, which can then be implemented on a larger scale.”
For LAVA, the future looks bright. Each of the three studios has one director and around fifteen staff going strong. Their research and experience in cutting edge technology also helps them to understand the future in broader terms. “What is certainly happening is ongoing globalisation and mobility,” reflects Bosse. “Facebook, Uber and Airbnb are the visible result of this underlying trend in society. Other huge trends are 3D printing and individualisation of product manufacturing, virtual reality and augmented reality.”
