RSHP's first encounter with luxury hotel group Maybourne happened 20 years ago, when the acclaimed architecture studio was approached to work with it on a new entrance for The Berkeley. It resulted in the sleek canopy, made of a series of 16 carbon fibre beams, that elegantly adorn its periodinspired façade to this day. Just next to it is The Emory, 'London's first all-suite hotel', which opened in Belgravia in April and is the latest and largest - product in the long, fruitful relationship that ensued.
RSHP partner Ivan Harbour was a key force in the project from day one, alongside the legendary practice co-founder Richard Rogers, who remained involved until his death in 2021. The Emory's location is in one of central London's most highly soughtafter corners, and naturally it influenced the project's design development. 'The Emory is part of a family of projects that we created around The Berkeley so, in that context, we were aiming to create something very clear on a site that is very dense and already fully occupied,' says Harbour.
'It had to be something that could be constructed as much as possible off-site, and so it had to have a level of rational thinking in the way it was organised. It was about making strong, rational decisions that would inform the construction process. What we created only exists because of the project's pragmatic constraints.' If in doubt about the project's high level of precise engineering and function-led design, a look at the main façade will convince you otherwise. The Emory stands proudly overlooking Hyde Park, its captivating network of steel outriggers peeking out from its rooftop-like masts, their slim steel rods running down the clean, functionalist façade, helping to define a neat grid of openings for the suites behind it.
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Pas de Deux - Choreographer Wayne McGregor on turning a post-apocalyptic trilogy by Margaret Atwood into a three-act ballet in collaboration with composer Max Richter
Wayne McGregor is the master of creative collaborations. As resident choreographer at the Royal Ballet, a position he has held since 2006, he has translated an eclectic roster of literary, avant-garde and contemporary references into works for the stage, as well as taken the helm on film, TV, fashion and music videos projects, and founded his own London-based studio.
Waking Moments - Design makes a welcome return to the Dakar Biennale, sounding out a clarion call to Africa's new creative generation
After a 20-year hiatus, design returns to the Dakar Biennale this year and, for curator Ousmane Mbaye, it comes at a pivotal time. ‘My curatorial practice is based on three aspects,’ he says. ‘A desire to do a design inventory in Africa; to record the materials being used; and to present the current generation of designers in Africa and its diaspora, and see their visions realised.’
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Recently reimagined by creative director Sabato De Sarno as part of his Cruise 2025 collection, Gucci’s ‘Blondie’ bag, first launched in 1971, centres around a rounded version of the brand’s historic interlocking-G symbol. Now one of fashion’s most recognisable motifs, it remains on De Sarno’s interpretation, which is designed to recall the original’s effortless insouciance and the heady, liberated spirit of the 1970s.
Role Models - Elmgreen & Dragset's subversive take on the classical form at Paris' Musée d'Orsay explores contemporary masculinities in a heteronormative world
As Elmgreen & Dragset, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset bring a smart subversion to their large-scale installations. Over the last three decades, they have taken a sideways look at social and political systems by recontextualising mainstream motifs: works have included a full-scale replica of a Prada boutique in the Texan desert and a vast, vertical swimming pool, now installed in Hong Kong.
Flask Force - A limited-edition perfume collaboration between two Spanish craft masters says it with flowers
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Guest Editor Marcio Kogan - Marcio Kogan has been prolific since setting up his namesake studio in São Paulo in 1978 (it was renamed Studio MK27 at the turn of the century).
Marcio Kogan has been prolific since setting up his namesake studio in São Paulo in 1978 (it was renamed Studio MK27 at the turn of the century). The 72-year-old architect has since become synonymous with contemporary Brazilian chic, offering a sumptuous blend of raw, textured materials; clean geometric forms; effortless functionality; vernacular design features; and a deep knowledge and appreciation of the rich, tropical modernist architecture legacy of his home country.
DREAM TEAM
A rewatching of a seminal film laid the foundation for JW Anderson's latest collection, a fantastical collaboration with artist Christiane Kubrick
