Plywood crates are stacked on top of each other and tied up with lashings into overhanging parcels. Strung together in a sequence, they form a terraced product display. The crates also offer space for storage boxes, which is accessible sideways. The limited-edition Artbags, the shop’s bestseller, hang on the walls. As the bags are sold, the walls are gradually emptied. Thus, the overall look of the shop is constantly changing. The upper levels can be reached using a telescopic pole.

The Artshop10 is conceived as a longer-term project. The crates can be dismantled with minimum effort. The entire material can be stored away on two pallets.

• Client: Sevensisters, Handmade
• Team: ZMIK
• Images: Eik Frenzel, ZMIK

The Engadiner Museum, completed in 1906, houses an important collection of original interiors and objects of Engadine home decor. It has not undergone any substantial changes since, and has the air of a museum within a museum. While respecting the existing structure, a blend of old and new rouses the museum from its slumber. The new entrance gives the museum a stronger outward presence. Inside, the exhibition, lighting and signage concept strives to create a clearly perceptible difference between historical structure and new additions.

• Client: Oberengadin County
• Team: ZMIK, Kräuchi Architekten, Baader Architekten
• Light planning: Alessandro Vaccariello
• Visualisations: Robert Müller

An abstracted urban landscape creates the basis of the concept. The oszillation between different scales, between a model-like image and concrete functional objects induces new furniture typologies. That way the stand develops a strong and independant appearance even from a distance. The stand typifies the design, the planning and the realisation of architecture.

• Client: Federal Chamber of German Architects
• Team: ZMIK

The redesign subdivides the space into two zones, which are separated by a sharp border. The two areas strongly contrast in their function as well as in their spacial atmosphere. The ceiling and the walls of the reception zone are entirely covered with vintage cuttings from Vogue, photocopied onto packaging paper. Opulently furnished and bathed in warm light, the reception is an invitation for a rest, for purchasing products and for discussing the newest styling-trends.

The white studio, however, is the absolute antithesis. Here nothing distracts the work of the hair stylist. The ideal light for working, the bright and glossy surfaces and the minimal furnishings create an almost clinical atmosphere and put the newly cut hairstyles into the centre of attention.

• Client: Hairstyling Nafi
• Team: ZMIK, südquai
• Images: Eik Frenzel

iart interactive moves their offices to a new place inside a building from the seventies. This spacial intervention in the main circulation area visually enlarges the narrow corrridor by using the medium of anamorphosis: Looking from 5 fixed positions the wireframe-drawings show real and imaginary rooms behind the walls. Besides this points of view the graphic merges into abstract lines.

• Client: iart interactive ag
• Team: ZMIK
• Images: Eik Frenzel

During the Art|40|Basel ZMIK was called to implant an appealing ArtShop in a cloakroom which is separated from the main visitors circulation by a long and wide staircase. The design aims to attract customers from the groundfloor and to transform an unalluring cloakroom into a temporary design boutique.

Hundreds of black arrows draw the attention and point the way upstairs to the ArtShop. The self-adhesive arrows cover walls, floor and ceiling. Towards the center of the shop they condense and climax around the close-packed display. The lamps Batman & Robin hover in a dense arrangement above the three display volumes and highlight the colorful products.

• Client: Sevensisters, Handmade
• Team: ZMIK
• Images: Eik Frenzel

Part of the art fair Art|40|Basel, the day spa «Kokon» provides a place of relaxation and recovery to stressed visitors and dealers. A covered wooden framework curls through an existing room enclosing space for the different spa treatments. The recesses formed by the membran get more and more intimate from the reception through the styling zone to the massage area without becoming completely closed spaces.

The translucid and multilayered cover of the structure is backlit. This creates a warm and airy atmoshpere inside the spa. The temporary use of the structure defines the choice of material for the covering of the spacial zoning: scaffold net.

• Client: Art|Basel
• Team: ZMIK
• Images: Mark Niedermann, Eik Frenzel
• Awards: nominated for Contract World Award 2010

The «Sevensistsers» is a small gift shop for design objects. The redesign of the boutique is based upon its often changing range of products and takes advantage of its small size by using a single piece of display furniture halfway between table and shelf. The piece of furniture connects 10 single volumes to one continuous, completely white display topography balanced on shared sets of legs.

The multitude of colorful, mostly small products are presented on the various levels of the units. The top of each unit can be opened to make room for different arrangements. The array of yellow tape at the entrance is intended to attract visitors’ attention and will be periodically renewed.

• Client: Sevensisters
• Team: ZMIK
• Images: Tom Bisig
• Awards: nominated for Contract World Award 2010 and Designpreis Schweiz 09

The façade of the office and residential building has undergone substantial restructuring. The ground floor façade, to date set back behind the exterior stanchions, has been moved in front of them. This gives the façade a calmer look and adds space to the interior. Rounded glass volumes set the business and restaurant areas apart from the central building entrances. Here visitors are accompanied on their way inside by structures in relief, creating a vivid accentuation.

• Client: Zurimo „B“ Immobilien AG vertreten durch UBS Fund Management (Switzerland) AG
• Team: ZMIK, Kräuchi Architekten
• Images: Tom Bisig

For the building site of the Stücki department store, standard on-site shelters for drawings and plans were transformed into small ex­hi­bition spaces. Placed in different spots around the building site, the mobile units represent stations on a visitors’ route. The central focus outside the building site is a container structure, which opens up to a funnel-shaped anteroom. Here, the form and gesture of the prefabricated units is picked up on a larger scale.

• Client: Tivona Promotion AG
• Team: ZMIK, iart interactive ag

The exhibition focuses upon new Swiss architecture and its negoti­ation between the public and the private in an aspect of architectural production. The exhibition design is a dynamic abstraction of a thematic journey through the Swiss cultural landscape, from urban areas to the central lowlands and peripheries, and finally to the alpine regions.

After Sao Paulo the exhibition was shown at the Swiss Architecture Museum, at Today Art Museum Beijing and at the Hongkong &­ Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture.

• Client: Swiss federal Office of Culture, Swiss Architecture Museum
• Team: ZMIK, HHF, Tatin
• Images: Tom Bisig

The Dreispitzareal, Basel’s largest industrial area, is currently being transformed into a mixed usage area. The Dreispitzhalle, which is refashioned from a warehouse into an exhibition and event space with cultural programming, stands out as a pioneer project.

Colour-coded signage lines mark the new function. The “culture code” is taken from the various markings that already give the area its character today. The coding leads visitors from the area’s entrance to the Dreispitzhalle, where it gains in density and dynamically climbs up the façade. It integrates the outside space and ramp, making the warehouse visible to arriving visitors from afar and clearly accentuating the new function of the building.

• Client: Christoph Merian Stiftung
• Team: ZMIK

Hull is a mobile pavilion structure, designed for the fashion label Switcher. In order to do justice to different needs, e.g. its use for music festivals or large sporting events, Hull is conceived as modular system. The mirror-symmetrical basic units can be put into any sequence, allowing for a tailor-made response to each given situation.

• Client: Switcher
• Team: ZMIK

A cloakroom gets transformed into the Artshop, a pop-up-design­boutique during Art|Basel. A net out of orange tape covers floor, walls and ceiling and creates a appealing, nest-like space while the enlarged counter turns into a huge white display. The lamps «hua» ramble along a stick to enlight the products.

• Client: Sevensisters, Handmade
• Team: ZMIK

KARi is a mobile bar unit. KARi = 1 handcart, 2 wooden boxes + 2 luminaires. The two volumes are brought to the desired place by handcart. There the boxes get flipped open to reveal the inside (fridge, beverages, bar equipment). The modified handcart serves as a magnetic pin board and a lighting retainer while the bar is in use.

• Client: KasKo
• Team: ZMIK

An organic shaped wall out of thousends of air cushions usually used in the packaging industry divides an existing fair restaurant into two autonomous spaces: on the one hand the Art|Lobby - a place for discussions and artists talks - and on the other hand the Art|Res-taurant. The cushions get inflated on-site. After the dismantling only some kilos of foil remain.

• Client: Art|Basel
• Design: les garçons (later: ZMIK and Raphael Rossel)
• Images: Christophe Bosset

For one day the Theaterplatz Basel gets transformed into a public-private hybrid. Selected areas of the square meld with elements known from private living into a new unit. For passer-bys the square appears in a new context and evokes questions about the use and definition of public space.

• Client: Artzappening
• Design: les garçons (later: ZMIK and Raphael Rossel)
• Images: Christophe Bosset

«Lichtkissen» is an installative seating-scape developed for the Artparty of Art|36|Basel. Clusters of light-cushions invite people to have a seat. The cushions are fixed on the ceiling with flexibel pipes so their maximum radius of action is limited.

• Client: Art|Basel
• Team: les garçons (later: ZMIK and Raphael Rossel)
• Images: Christophe Bosset

«Batman&Robin» are pendant luminaires. Its shade is folded out of a single piece of alu composite. The translucent core of the sandwich material is used as a hinge and makes the edges of the shade glow. The well reflecting surface of the alu coating provides a balanced and atmospheric light.

Material: Alu Composite
Dimensions: 210 x 210 x 230 / 300 x 230 x 190

• Team: ZMIK
• Images: Eik Frenzel

«Scopidou» was developed as a one-off for the appearance of a gallery at the art fair ScopeBasel. The parts are held together only by lashing straps.

Material: Styrodur, plywood, lashing straps
Dimensions: 100 x 60 x 76

• Client: Galerie Karin Sutter
• Team: ZMIK
• Images: ZMIK

A standard tray with a flat steel base makes for a loyal helper.

Material: standard tray, coated steel
Dimensions: 50 x 32 x 32

• Team: ZMIK
• Images: ZMIK

Based on the principle of a climber, HUA meanders upwards clinging to other objects. The lampshade is made from a take-away box.

Material: take-away box, flexible wire
Dimensions: 20 x 25 x 15

• Team: ZMIK
• Images: ZMIK

«Schlitten» combines the function of a carpet, a seating and mobility in one furniture. The felt on the floor occupies additional space around the cube. On its topside it functions as upholstery. Flipped open the felt gets a pulling handle to move to another place.

Material: fir wood, felt
Dimensions: 128 x 128 x 29

• Client: Plattform 08
• Team: ZMIK
• Images: ZMIK

Tabletop and trestles are newly combined. This is a desk with maximum legroom at an unbeatable price.

Material: standard trestles, roof batten, standard table top
Dimensions: 195 x 75 x 73

• Team: ZMIK
• Images: ZMIK