Hani Rashid / Asymptote for Alessi

Desktop Architecture
The Alessi Autumn/Winter 2006 collection sees the launch of Hani Rashid's 'Desktop Architecture' - a range of desktop items challenging the more mundane designs of everyday office items we normally take for granted. The range includes the 'Scud' desk organiser, the 'Stila' paper knife and the 'Trina' pen & pencil holder all in stainless steel. To compliment the range the 'Parq' desk tray comes in three colors.

Alessi Flagship stores in Munich and New York The Munich Flagship Store has launched a new concept in international Alessi stores. This 70m2 space is located in the heart of the city, within the Fünf Höfe shopping complex. This flagship store, conceived as a neutral container, is a dynamic and flexible stage, capable of frequent changes of scenery (through the use of sliding wings, backdrops and banners), depending on the company's evolving needs and new products.
Products are displayed on the furnishings designed by Hani Rashid for Alessi's New York showroom, which opened in August. Said furnishings form a fixed, floodlit wing taking up the entire length of the transparent wall at the back of the shop. The same structures are used in the central area, although with greater composition flexibility.

Alessi has opened its first-ever New York City flagship store. From august the 23rd, the Greene Street shop features a vast array of more than 3,000 products from Alessi’s extensive catalog of items.
Designed by Hani Rashid of Asymptote Studio, the new shop features a modern, innovative design concept that highlights the Alessi products. Featuring a unique stacked display system and a visually stunning mirrored backdrop on the store’s East wall, the new flagship further enhances Alessi’s reputation as being on the cutting edge of modern design.
The store will also feature an Italian coffee bar serving espresso and coffee drinks by Joe coffee, the award winning West Village coffee shop. The bar utilises Alessi’s collection of cups, glassware, espresso cups and serving items, and is the first coffee shop in any Alessi store in the world.

Rashid was born in Cairo in 1958. He studied architecture in Canada and in the United States, before opening his New York Asymptote Studio in 1988. He holds various teaches posts worldwide, and with his studio has designed a vast range of works that place him well ahead of his peers in the field of digital design. His projects span from experimental spatial installations to digital architecture.