Nendo’s Tokyo Olympics cauldron was inspired by a blossoming flame
Nendo has designed the Tokyo Olympic cauldron paying tribute to the sun and its energy, but also to Japanese fine craftsmanship.
Cross-laminated timber fins wrap Kengo Kuma’s CLT Park Harumi pavilion in Tokyo
Kengo Kuma’s CLT Park Harumi recreational venue is dressed with a skin of wooden leaves filtering light like trees in a forest.
London Design Biennale 2021 explores the role of design in tackling global issues
Curated by Es Devlin, London Design Biennale 2021 takes over Somerset House with 38 exhibitions from six continents and a ‘forest for change’ in the historic building’s courtyard.
CON-NECT-ED-NESS: the Danish Pavilion in Venice evokes an indelible sense of connection between people and Nature
A cyclic water system connects visitors, senses and surroundings at CON-NECT-ED-NESS, the biophilic exhibition at the Danish Pavilion.
TECLA by Mario Cucinella is the first eco-sustainable house 3D printed from raw earth
MCA – Mario Cucinella Architects and WASP, World’s Advanced Saving Project, teamed up to develop and create the TECLA eco-sustainable housing model.
‘Flowing Fragments’’ furniture collection by Richard Yasmine raises awareness on antiques trafficking
Classic geometries and minimal contemporary aesthetics blend in Richard Yasmine’s ‘Flowing Fragments’ design collection made from upcycled sedimentary and basaltic stones.
Lacaton and Vassal win the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2021
‘Architects should not demolish but always add, transform and reuse.’ Lacaton and Vassal win the 2021 Pritzker Prize with a human-based and sustainable vision.
The best projects of the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureates are on Pinterest
Lacaton and Vassal won the 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize. We have rounded up some of the studio’s most notable projects in a dedicated Pinterest gallery.
The first large-scale Memorial to the Pandemic invites to reflect on our relationship with Nature
Gomez Platero designed the World Memorial to the Pandemic in Uruguay to build a collective consciousness reminding us that humankind is not the center of the ecosystem.
Couch-19 by Tobia Zambotti is stuffed with discarded face masks
Italian designer Tobia Zambotti has filled an iceberg-shaped sofa with face masks collected from the streets to raise awareness of the pollution we created because of Covid-19.
House of Hungarian Music by Sou Fujimoto is nearing completion in Budapest
Inspired by sound waves, Sou Fujimoto’s ‘House of Hungarian Music’ is topped by a white roof, punctuated with almost 100 holes for trees to grow through.
Jean Nouvel unveils the sustainable ‘Aquarela’ residential complex in Ecuador
Verdant balconies and green canyons define Jean Nouvel’s biophilic high-rise AQUARELA apartment complex near Quito, aiming to combine sustainability with social justice.
The Line: Saudi Arabia unveils the masterplan for a 170km long smart city without cars
Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced THE LINE, a 170km urban belt of hyper-connected future communities, without cars and roads and built around nature. Breaking ground in the first half of 2021, the smart city is a direct response to some of the most pressing challenges such as legacy infrastructure, pollution, traffic, and human congestion.
Best of 2020: 8 urban stories from China to the Italian Alps
Top 8 urban stories of 2020: Stockholm’s underground art trail, transparent Tokyo public toilets and a sport campus hidden under a green hilly landscape in China.
2020 Best Architecture: 12 great stories from Dubai to the Arctic
2020 Best Architecture: an Arctic whale watching facility, a pitched-roof garden house in Beverly Hills and a sustainable micro-library in Indonesia are among our favourite architectures of the year.
Mischer’traxler creates The Curiosity Cloud installation for Maison Perrier-Jouët at DesignMiami
Hand-crafted insects are trapped in the lightbulbs of The Curiosity Cloud chandelier by Austrian duo mischer’traxler who invite to reflect on the relationship between man and nature, the impact of human activity and the importance of biodiversity.
THE HOTHOUSE: Studio Weave creates an edible tropical jungle with a sustainable message in London
By 2050 mangos and pineapples are likely to ripe in orchards across the UK, say scientists. THE HOTHOUSE conservatory by Studio Weave highlights the reality of Climate Change and rising temperature.
BIG reveals the sustainable BIODIVERCITY masterplan for an artificial archipelago in Malaysia
The BIODIVERCITY masterplan for Penang south islands aims to become a sustainable destination where cultural, ecological and economic growth is secured and where people and nature co-exist in one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.
THE WHALE Museum by Dorte Mandrup will emerge from Arctic landscapes
THE WHALE museum and whale-watching facility by Dorte Mandrup Architects grows from the ground dissolving the lines between architecture and Norway’s Arctic wilderness while inviting to discover the fabled creatures through art, science and architecture.
Zaha Hadid Architects develops the Roatán Próspera modular housing complex in Honduras
Can a digital architectural platform allow residents to customize their own home while supporting local business in a sustainable way? The Roatán Próspera project by Zaha Hadid Architects features curved roofs and rounded balconies on the Bay Islands in the Caribbeans.
Yves Behar’s unveils PROTEUS™ underwater research station set to tackle Climate Change
Yves Behar and his team at fuseproject unveiled the design of PROTEUS™, the world’s most advanced underwater scientific research station and habitat conceived as the submarine equivalent of the International Space Station.
Sansiro 2.0: Angelo Renna re-imagines Milan’s iconic stadium as a memorial to the victims of Covid-19
35.000 cypresses, as many as the victim of COVID-19 in Italy, stand in the ‘SANSIRO 2.0 – A A MONUMENT FOR LIFE’ memorial envisioned by Angelo Renna. The proposal repurposes Milan’s iconic stadium as a silent place for contemplation, saving it from demolition.
The Plus: BIG and Vestre unveil “the world’s most sustainable furniture factory”
Tucked in the heart of the Norwegian forest, The Plus factory by BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group for urban furniture manufacturer Vestre was “envisioned as a village for a community dedicated to the cleanest, carbon neutral fabrication of urban and social furniture.”
Snøhetta’s Tungestølen hiking cabins offer breathtaking views of a Norwegian glacier
Designed as an architectural reaction to changing weather conditions, architecture firm Snøhetta’s Tungestølen hiking cabin in the western part of Norway on a small plateau overlooks the Jostedalen glacier.
Porky Hefer’s’ ‘Endangered’ animals-shaped alcoves protect species at risk of extinction
Would you take a nap hugging a polar bear or finding a comfy space between a white shark jaws? Probably YES if your cuddling mate is one of Porky Hefer’s creations!
Charlotte Mary Pack’s 100 Elephants crafts project and performance fights against poaching
Disposed in a spiral formation symbolizing their decline, the 100 elephants Charlotte Mary Pack has crafted in a 24 hours-long performance raise awareness and challenge the public’s opinion on ivory.
Atelier Boelhouwer’s ‘Insectology: Food For Buzz’ project let urban bees thrive
Urban greenspaces are not that bug-friendly. With the ‘Insectology: Food For Buzz’ project Matilde Boelhouwer teamed up with engineers and biologist to devise artificial flowers allowing bees, bumblebees and other impollinators to thrive and literally make some buzz in town!
Can creativity save animals’ lives? Archipanic-curated virtual exhibition features projects looking after endangered species
Artificial flowers empowering urban bees, quirky warrior panda bear sculptures and birds-friendly mirrored houses are among the selected projects on show at the ‘Can creativity save animals’ lives? ’ exhibition Archipanic has curated for Monkey 47.
Archipanic curates Monkey 47 virtual design exhibition on protecting endangered animals
The Monkey 47 dry gin exhibition is part of the SAD BUT TRUE campaign which supports WWF and other international organizations striving to grant a brighter future for 6 primates threatened with extinction.
‘BioBombola’ domestic algae garden by ecoLogicStudio fills the house with oxygen
A kids’ school project during lockdown inspired ecoLogicStudio to devise BioBombola, a pioneering algae garden inviting individuals, families and communities to cultivate a healthy domestic algae garden as a sustainable source of vegetable proteins.