Advanced Architecture Lab and Wiki World have collaborated to design a wilderness retreat that redefines traditional architectural norms and how humans engage with their environment. Dubbed the Cabin of Maze, this innovative project explores “blurred” spatial relationships, offering a distinctive living experience.

It is situated in the Wuhan Ganlushan Culture Creativity Cit, which is an emerging cultural and tourism hub at the northern entrance of Yangtze New Town, China. The retreat merges solitude with communal living, providing an immersive experience that is both unique and reflective of its surroundings.

Designer: Advanced Architecture Lab and Wiki World

With the Cabin Of Maze, the designers wanted to provide a unique living experience, that is a far cry from conventional floor plans. The architectural duo instead decided to create 13 interconnected rooms (bedrooms, living rooms, and bathrooms), scattering them all across an island. The rooms are connected by a 100-meter-long (328-ft), 80-centimeter-wide (31.5-in) black corridor, which serves as the heart of the entire project.

The Cabin of Maze is unlike traditional designs. This project wants to challenge and surprise its residents, disorienting them with its varied corridors and passageways. The main corridor isn’t just a typical passage, it functions as a maze, delivering a truly unique and one-of-a-kind experience. At certain sections, it opens up to the sky, creating small courtyards.

The experience has a sense of spatial disorientation to it, thereby giving visitors to get lost inside. The creators wanted to intentionally form this feeling of being lost, making it a playful and interesting feature of the retreat. It becomes a sort of cabin-finding game, creating a sense of discovery and adventure in the air. The Cabin of Maze was constructed using carbonized timber, a material that harmonizes with the forest environment while providing durability and weather resistance. This choice reflects the architects’ dedication to using natural materials, and focus on a reduced carbon footprint during the building process.

The Cabin of Maze was made using carbonized timber, a material traditionally valued for its ability to seamlessly integrate with forest surroundings while providing exceptional durability and weather resistance. The architects chose carbonized wood as part of their commitment to utilizing natural materials, aiming to minimize the building process’s carbon footprint.

The cabins are elevated above the ground, thereby causing minimal disruption to the natural landscape. This elevation reduces soil impact, promotes better water drainage, and helps preserve the local ecosystem. The cabins feature a modular and flexible design and are assembled with small metal components that facilitate easy construction and deconstruction. This adaptability allows the layout to be modified and rearranged as needed over time.

The interior of the cabin is quite simple and organic, with an emphasis on connecting with nature. Natural textures and materials highlight the space, thereby complementing the exterior. The rooms feature basic living amenities, so comfort is maintained, and prioritized alongside some adventure. The design is quite minimal, amped with big windows that offer views of the surrounding river. The interiors are created like a blank canvas, allowing the residents to feel at home, and customize the space according to their preference.

Even though the Cabin of Maze is an immersive and thrilling experience, the disorienting corridor and the amusing style of the design may not be preferred by everyone. However, this project does deliver an innovative retreat, wherein the village or tribe experience has been reinvented and rejazzed.

The post Elevated Eco-Retreat In China Uses A Disorienting Corridor To Create A Immersive Living Experience first appeared on Yanko Design.

Dubbed the Mo.2 675 Highline, this tiny home was designed by UK-based Mooble House and employs a thoughtfully planned strategy for downsizing. Measuring a compact 22 feet, the home is built on a double-axle trailer. It features a single-story design with a flexible layout that allows the bed to be stored within a wall. The exterior is a blend of wood and metal with a metal roof, while the interior is arranged on one level for easy flow.

The Mo.2 67 Highline is a prime specimen of efficient design, and it is also part of a larger movement to embrace a minimal and sustainable lifestyle. Tiny homes have been gaining traction since they serve as affordable and eco-friendly living spaces without compromising on comfort.  Mooble House integrates these principles by carefully selecting materials that are both robust and sustainable, like the durable wood used for the Mo.2 675 Highline.

Designer: Mooble House

What sets this home apart are its two entrances. The main entrance opens directly into a light-filled living room, enhanced by generous glazing and a skylight that adds an elegant touch. This space includes a sofa with integrated storage. Nearby is a home office area with a desk that doubles as a dining table. The kitchen is adjacent and basic but equipped with essentials, including a sink, fridge, and electric cooktop, along with cabinetry. There’s also room for additional appliances and a folding countertop extension for extra food preparation space.

Adjacent to the kitchen, you’ll find the bathroom, which has a compact size but efficient design. Mooble House has incorporated a flushing toilet, a shower, and a small sink much like those found in a campervan. These features maximize space without compromising on functionality.

At the opposite end of the home, across from the living room, lies the bedroom. This bedroom has its own entrance and is equipped with an ample amount of headroom, allowing residents to stand comfortably since the house has a single-floor layout. During the day, the bedroom can be used as a versatile open space, perfect for activities like exercise or relaxation. At night, a Murphy-style folding double bed can be pulled down from the wall, allowing the room to function as a bedroom. There is also a cleverly integrated storage space above the bed, offering a practical solution for keeping personal items organized and out of sight.

The Mo.2 675 Highline is quite economical and currently up for sale at around US$43,500. Compared to other models on the market, the Mo.2 675 Highline is quite appealing with its dual entrances and integrated storage solutions. These features, along with competitive pricing at around $43,500, make it a compelling choice for those looking to embrace a minimalist lifestyle in style.

The post This 22-ft-long Tiny Home Offers Versatile, Space-Saving and Eco-Friendly Living In A Tiny Package first appeared on Yanko Design.

Dezeen School Shows: chairs made from flax fibres and PLA plastic are included in this School Show from the Royal Danish Academy.

Also included is a proposal for a harbour promoting leisure in Flensburg, Germany, and a graphic design project that aims to engage students in physics.

Royal Danish Academy

Institution: Royal Danish Academy
Course: Architecture and Design

School statement:

“The Royal Danish Academy is proud to present nine diverse projects, selected from the more than 240 graduation projects created by architects and designers at the 2024 graduation exhibition: New Design and Architecture.

“This selection shows how a new generation of architects and designers has worked with concrete and complex issues.

“Their projects inspire new paths towards more sustainable development and illustrate how architecture and design can help drive real societal change.

“The graduates present original and aesthetic graduation projects, which are based on science, art or practice, with several projects created in collaboration with public and private companies with input from other professional fields.

“The Royal Danish Academy has focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals for many years. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and their context provide an important compass for graduation projects.

“One of the driving forces in the projects is the student’s engagement in the world and how we create a viable planet for the future.

“The projects show how the new generation of architects and designers has worked with concrete and complex issues in our society.”

The Birthing Clinic – a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and nature by Alma Kober Sørensen

“Mothering Nature features a birth clinic in Rajasthan, India, through the lens of multispecies living.

“Graduate Alma Kober Sørensen has investigated how Rajasthan faces high rates of malnutrition among pregnant women and their children.

“Meanwhile, biodiversity is declining globally. The project shows how architecture can establish an environment for a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and nature.

“The proposal is a multispecies habitat with health and education facilities for children and mothers, along with habitats for insects and animals from the local ecosystem.”

Student: Alma Kober Sørensen
Course: Architecture and Extreme Environments
Tutor: Runa Johannessen
Email: alma-kober[at]hotmail.com

Beyond Debris – from physical debris to a digital material bank by Sandro Siefert

“Beyond Debris challenges contemporary demolition waste handling.

“Combining digital and traditional craft, it transforms demolition sites and their waste into urban quarries with precious building material.

“The project by Sandro Siefert leverages photogrammetry to create high-fidelity geometries and textures for objects quarried from a demolition site.

“By taking multiple images from diverse perspectives, he creates 3D models of the debris.

“This method ensures accuracy in digital representation and bridges the gap between physical and digital spatial orientations by capturing plane-reference marks.

“All objects are then catalogued in a streamlined digital material bank, which facilitates better use and understanding of reclaimed components.”

Student: Sandro Siefert
Course: Computation in Architecture
Tutor: Nadja Gaudillière-Jami
Email: sandro.siefert[at]outlook.com

Stay Soft Collection by Sarah Blicher Bruunsgaard Bek

“The Stay Soft Collection is a result of combining fashion and philosophy.

“The collection questions how humans have neglected their senses and bodily connection to their surroundings.

“The research behind the project is mainly built upon first-hand sensory experiences made by designer Sarah Bek.

“Bek maps and documented travels to New York and used these as the starting point for material, shape, silhouette and embellishment research.

“Bek works with an emotional perspective to fashion, using strategies such as user understanding through interviews and wardrobe studies, embedded storytelling and aesthetic longevity, in the aim of creating a new language of femininity.”

Student: Sarah Blicher Bruunsgaard Bek
Course: Fashion, Clothing and Textiles
Tutor: Marcus Aminaka Wilmont
Email: sarahblicherbek[at]gmail.com

Bundle – a biobased chair by Kirstine Sejersen and Jón Hinrik Höskuldsson

“Bundle is the result of material-driven investigations of the potential of bio-based composites in furniture design.

“The project was done as a collaboration between Kirstine Sejersen and Jón Hinrik Höskuldsson.

“Through experimentation, they found a material composition and a set of design principles that allowed them to design a lightweight, mono-material chair.

“The chair is produced by thermo-pressing flax fibres and bio-based PLA plastic into rigid shells.

“The goal was to enhance the properties of plastic-based products while reducing their environmental impact – increasing the aesthetic appeal of plastic products, without losing strength and durability.”

Students: Kirstine Sejersen and Jón Hinrik Höskuldsson
Course: Furniture Design – Products, Materials and Contexts
Tutor: Antonio Scaffidi
Emails: kirstinesejersen[at]hotmail.com and jonhiho[at]gmail.com

Parentheses: A Series of physics books using the visual language of formulas by Anna Rebecka Kristensson

“The project by Anna Rebecka Kristensson aims to create an interdisciplinary approach to physics education targeted at Swedish students aged 15 to 17.

“It consists of a new design of a physics book created to engage students in understanding physics formulas.

“By creating new ways of learning about the fundamentals of physics, Kristensson’s project makes a significant contribution to education.

“She uses tools from graphic design to create a more welcoming entry point to formulas in physics, especially for students early in their education.

“All content in the book, from cover to illustrations, are made of the same source of numbers and symbols.”

Student: Anna Rebecka Kristensson
Course: Graphic Communication Design
Tutor: Rasmus Spanggaard Troelsen
Email: info[at]annakristensson.com

Hafenbad – small-scale route to urban renewal by Paulina Marie Heinz

“Once a bustling port, Flensburg’s east harbour is now largely vacant. Hafenbad is a large urban project planned to develop the former industrial area into a new residential district.

“Hafenbad explores an alternative, small-scale and catalytic route to urban renewal.

“It asks the question: can we initiate cultural and urban transformation from the ground up, starting at the local level?

“Using locally mined materials, this project investigates a resource-friendly approach to design and planning practices as well as a progressive architectural language.

“The resulting harbour bath seeks to become an authentic and accessible place of leisure.”

Student: Paulina Marie Heinz
Course: Spatial Design
Tutor: Nicolas Thomas Lee
Email: pauli.heinz[at]googlemail.com

ReCraft – design elements from demolished materials by David Maximilian Schneider, Matti Elias Göran Kemppainen and Karoline Cecilie Aigner

“This project focuses on the innovative repurposing of demolished construction materials, aiming to extend their lifecycle and introduce new building practices.

“The project is a collaboration between David Maximilian Schneider, Matti Elias Göran Kemppainen and Karoline Cecilie Aigner.

“By valuing non-standardised materials, the project enables unique design possibilities and empowers architects and builders to push creative boundaries.

“The first ReCrafted materials are interior elements such as flooring and wall tiles or cladding, available in various shapes, colours and textures.

“These products originate from three different demolition sites and belong to two separate collections.”

Students: David Maximilian Schneider, Matti Elias Göran Kemppainen and Karoline Cecilie Aigner
Course: Strategic Design and Entrepreneurship
Tutors: Morten Emil Engel
Emails: david.m.schneider[at]outlook.com, mr.mkemppainen[at]gmail.com and aigkaroline[at]gmail.com

Growing together, on the banks of a dying river by Laurits Honoré Rønne

“The decaying Spree River allows new landscapes to emerge in Berlin.

“This project by Laurits Honoré Rønne explores the social and ecological possibilities in cultivating a wilderness in collaboration between citizens and resident tech companies.

“Through animation and interpretation of scientifically predicted scenarios, Laurits proposes a long-term strategy for the preservation and maintenance of a wild river delta.

“The project was presented as a spatial installation with a performance of a presentation script guiding through a digital model on a three-channel video display.

“The presentation highlighted different interventions, visions and reflections in the proposal.”

Student: Laurits Honoré Rønne
Course: Political Architecture: Critical Sustainability
Tutor: Deata Hemer
Email: lauritsronne[at]gmail.com

Imagining the Future of Lesjöfors by Astrid Broqvist

“This project aims to investigate the future of an industrial town typology in Sweden by challenging the prevailing focus on growth.

“The project by Astrid Broqvist seeks to envision the future of Lesjöfors, Sweden, a town in decline that since its peak has lost around 70 per cent of its inhabitants.

“Today many of Lesejöfors’ buildings are vacant or abandoned demolition has left gaps in the urban structure and created concerns among the people who live there.

“The project aims to promote practices of subtraction, redistribution and maintenance, through interventions on an architectural scale.

“The interventions are based on analysis conducted with the help of voices and perspectives from Lesjöfors.”

Student: Astrid Broqvist
Course: Urbanism and Societal Change
Tutor: Deane Alan Simpson
Email: astridbroqvist[at]gmail.com

Partnership content

These projects are presented in school shows from institutions that partner with Dezeen. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Nine student projects from the Royal Danish Academy appeared first on Dezeen.

Here’s what we looked at this week:

LMD: A new, less wasteful metal 3D printing technique by Meltio.

A manufacturing gamechanger: Danish company Adapa has developed adaptive molds, eliminating the need for permanent tooling.

ThermoTraks: A smart, low-tech design for a garage door track that offers a better seal.

A nifty, terrifying design for a folding axe.

The Pulli Bin rethinks the UX of the kitchen garbage can.

The Esch 22 Space Station, by architecture firm 2001 TBSI, is a trailer with an inflatable 6-person sleeping dome.

The Avvenire Combat is an electric motorcycle that can be converted into a snowmobile.

FlyFrames are eyewear with no arms (temples), which I believe will introduce a UX hassle.

The Hino Profia: A tractor trailer with four-wheel steering!

Better UX design for a helmet with a protective facemask.

The perfect gift for Cobra Commander: A wristwatch with a mechanical snake that circumnavigates the dial.

A Carabiner Battery. (Surely at some point, we will run out of objects that can feature carabiners.)

UX design details: The evolution of this bit holder, and its remaining flaw.

The CNC Pro is a portable mill for concrete and stone applications.

Industrial design firm Goodwin Hartshorn designs an anti-splash urinal.

Better UX for barbecue grills: Monument Grills’ burner knobs indicate temperature using color.

A much smarter, pivoting design for wheelbarrow handles.

Industrial design case study: Sprout streamlines outdoor decorative lighting.

When it comes to sports shoes, the bouncier you get, the better. Whether you’re running or playing basketball, having the shoes conserve and rebound the energy you put in every step means conserving more of your energy for other things. Of course, you also have to balance bounciness with durability, a problem that shoe designers and engineers constantly try to solve with new technologies and sometimes unusual materials.

Japanese sportswear company Mizuno has one such technology that it will be flaunting at the Osaka World Expo 2025 in April this year. More than the brand’s bold claims of bounciness and softness, the Mizuno Enerzy will probably be most remembered for its rather unusual and perhaps a little disturbing design, with soles filled with spheres that look like bubbles or some otherworldly creature. Perhaps it’s for the best that it will come in black instead of the original design.

Designer: Mizuno

Some have likened them to caviar because of their red spherical shapes, while others have compared them to eyeballs. In fact, one of the designs for these rather odd sneakers does have red eyeballs beneath the blue upper, just like Osaka Expo’s equally odd mascot, Myaku-Myaku. The similarity is just coincidental, of course, but the perfect match-up feels almost fated.

The bubbly outsole of the Mizuno Enerzy sneakers immediately conjures up images of bouncy things like balls and, well, some bubbles, which is probably the intention behind this quirky design. It’s supposed to be a shoe that promises the ultimate bounce and energy return, though funnily enough, it’s not because of those soles. Mizuno Enerzy technology, particularly the Enerzy Core, is actually found in the midsole.

Mizuno Enezy Core, according to the official marketing spiel, is the company’s bounciest and softest midsole material yet. It is claimed to be 293% softer (hopefully not a typo), and provides 56% more energy return, giving you more bounce at every step with less effort. If you indeed feel those effects, you probably won’t mind how the shoes look, especially if you gain a bit of fame from it. Unless, of course, you happen to have a case of trypophobia or a similar aversion.

The original red sole and black upper color scheme of the Mizuno Enerzy was supposed to just be a concept model meant to symbolize that bounciness. For better or worse, Mizuno has decided to actually bring the shoes to the world, though in an all-black scheme that almost minimizes the shocking impact of those small spheres. If you feel like you’re missing out on the Osaka Expo connection, however, the insoles still have that alien-like mascot, though wearing the shoes will probably make it feel like you’re stepping and squashing the poor thing.

The post Mizuno Enerzy is bringing its weird bubbly sneakers to Osaka Expo 2025 in all black first appeared on Yanko Design.