MD41 creates "pure and extremely simple" gymnasium in Italy

Cuboid gymnasium for a school in Merate by MD41

Architecture studio MD41 has completed a gymnasium for a school in Merate, Italy, housed in a cubic volume clad in textured concrete panels.

Replacing a former gymnasium on the same site, the building slots in between the school to the north and a sprawling brick piazza to the south created by local studio Archea Associati in 2010.

These existing elements, as well as heritage protections in the area, left a small and constrained site that MD41 sought to optimise with a clear and “rational” building.

Cuboid gym designed for a school in Merate
MD41 has created a cuboid gymnasium for a school in Italy

“The resulting rational volume has allowed it to fit perfectly into the area and to optimise the construction system, dedicating the highest volume part to the playing field with its stands, and the lower part to other functions,” the studio told Dezeen.

“[It is] intended to be a landmark for the school complex, appearing as a pure and extremely simple volume, where sports areas and closed functions are located and clearly defined.”

The building houses an indoor sports court with bathrooms and changing areas along its northern edge, open for use by both the school and the surrounding community.

Concrete-clad gym in a brick piazza
The building is located between the school and a brick piazza

To connect the building with the surrounding landscape, its ground floor is wrapped by large windows that overlook an adjacent outdoor basketball court and exercise park.

Above, MD41 clad the building in concrete panels with a horizontal, ribbed texture, chosen to complement the pink-brown shades of the piazza’s brickwork and weathered steel accents.

“From the stands, the park thus becomes the backdrop for the sports scene, visually dilating the interior space and creating a strong relationship with the surrounding landscape,” it added.

Contrasting this grey exterior, the inside of the gym has been finished with a datum of bright yellow across the ground floor level. This matches the height of the windows to help reflect sunlight throughout the interior.

Concrete-clad gymnasium in Merate
Windows in the gymnasium overlook a basketball court

Other sports facilities recently featured on Dezeen include Markolfhalle Markelfingen, a multipurpose hall that architecture studio Steimle Architekten has added to the edge of a lake in Germany.

In China, architecture studio UAD recently completed a sports centre with a rooftop football pitch, elevated on vaulted concrete supports.

The photography is by Marcello Mariana.

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Insulator lighting collection by Novocastrian

Insulator lighting collection by Novocastrian

Dezeen Showroom: British design studio Novocastrian has released a series of lighting that references equipment and infrastructure associated with railways.

The Insulator lighting collection comprises pendant and table lamps as well as sconce lights, which share similar ribbed motifs and distinctive polished hardware.

Insulator lighting collection by Novocastrian
The fittings are made from brass and glass

“Our founder Richy took inspiration from endless train journeys along Britain’s East Coast mainline between Newcastle and London, by the rhythmic lattice of the overhead power lines, and by the intriguing saucer-like pin insulators which adorn them,” said Novocastrian.

Each piece is built using elements made from pressed glass and solid brass, which are machined in the company’s workshop in the North East of England.

Insulator lighting collection by Novocastrian
Wall, table and pendant lights make up the collection

The lights can be fitted with either North American or European wiring and custom finishes are possible upon request.


Product details:

Product: Insulator lighting collection
Brand: Novocastrian
Contact: enquiries@novocastrian.co

Material: brass, pressed glass
Colours/finishes: polished or dark waxed brass
Dimensions: width in millimetres x depth in millimetres x height in millimetres

Dezeen Showroom

Dezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen’s huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.

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Lesley Lokko and Marina Tabassum named world's most influential architects

Lesley Lokko and Marina Tabassum named on Time 100

Architects Lesley Lokko and Marina Tabassum have been named on the list of the 100 most influential people of 2024 by Time magazine.

The architects are included alongside world leaders, artists and sports stars in the annually published list of people the US magazine judges as the world’s most influential.

Called a “force of nature” in her citation, Lokko is listed in the pioneers section of the list, while Tabassum, who is described as an architect who “cares for her creations”, is included in the innovators section.

“Her extraordinary trajectory eviscerates the old world”

Ghanaian-Scottish architect Lokko curated last year’s Venice Architecture Biennale and recently won the RIBA Royal Gold Medal. American filmmaker Ava DuVernay, who wrote her citation, said she was “dazzled by her brilliance and focus” when she met the architect.

In DuVernay’s citation, she drew attention to the impact that Lokko was having on the architecture world.

“Her extraordinary trajectory eviscerates the old world that had maintained a dominant perspective in architecture – one that she calls ‘a singular, exclusive voice, whose reach and power ignores huge swathes of humanity… as though we have been listening and speaking in one tongue only’,” wrote DuVernay.

“Now, we hear hers. Lesley creates new landscapes to reimagine access and impact and vision and vibrant futures,” she continued. “Her presence in the world of architecture is the very foundation upon which fresh perspectives and passions will flourish. She is indeed a force of nature. A force for change. A force for good.”

Tabassum “prioritizes local cultures and values”

Bangladeshi architect Tabassum, who recently won the Soane Medal for architecture, was praised for her altruistic attitude to her work.

“Altruism isn’t typically a term attributed to award-winning architects – a profession where signature has become a common adjective – but Marina Tabassum isn’t typical,” wrote Harvard Graduate School of Design dean Sarah Whiting in her citation.

“She has developed a practice and a way of being that prioritizes local cultures and values, as well as the perils faced by our shared planet.”

She drew attention to her Bait Ur Rouf Mosque in Dhaka, which was one of the winners of the Aga Khan Award, as well as her work developing moveable prefabricated houses.

“She has developed houses that are cost-effective and easy to move – clearly, buildings shouldn’t just breathe; they should avoid getting their feet wet,” wrote Whiting. “While she practices very locally, she teaches, lectures, and is recognized internationally, modeling architecture not as an individual signature but as a collective Esperanto.”

Lokko and Tabassum are the latest architects to be named on the Time 100 list, following Japanese architect Kengo Kuma in 2021, Jeanne Gang in 2019, Elizabeth Diller in 2018 and David Adjaye in 2017.

Last year the magazine named Burkinabè architect Diébédo Francis Kéré on its list of 100 most influential climate leaders.

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Don't Move, Improve! unveils London's best house renovations of 2024

Interior of Hillside House by Mike Tuck Studio

A dwelling with a “tin hat” by Nimtim Architects and a colourful extension by Charles Holland are among the 16 London homes named on the shortlist for this year’s Don’t Move, Improve! competition.

A triangular house in a former garage by studio Brown Urbanism is also on the shortlist, alongside an extension by Cairn that is the first structure in the UK to be built from a low-carbon cement called LC3.

It is the fourteenth edition of the annual awards programme, hosted by New London Architecture (NLA), which aims to celebrate “the diversity of homes across the capital” – specifically those that have been renovated or extended.

House Made by Many Hands by Cairn
Cairn made the 2024 shortlist for this extension made of low-carbon cement. Photo by James Retief

NLA’s head of content Federico Ortiz hopes that the 2024 shortlist will become a useful resource for people in the city looking to improve their homes.

“The shortlist for Don’t Move, Improve! 2024 is an extraordinary showcase of innovation and creativity, offering a unique resource for Londoners who want to reimagine their living spaces and keep calling their neighbourhoods home,” said Ortiz.

Other projects on the list include the pink-hued Aden Grove by Emil Eve, the light-filled Apartment with a Mezzanine by Office Ten Architecture and the renovation of the 1960s Chelsea Brut by Pricegore.

A House in East London by Charles Holland
A colourful home by Charles Holland Architects is vying for the prize. Photo by Jim Stephenson

Whittaker Parsons‘ wood-lined Flitch Cottage extension also made the cut, alongside The Green Machine by Suprblk Studio and Heyford Avenue by Manuel Urbina Studio.

Other extensions up for the prize include one in Stoke Newington by VATRAA and the Perforated House by Novak Hiles Architects in Wandsworth, which is named after its perforated brickwork.

The final four projects competing this year are Two-Up Two-Down House by Khan Bonshek, Wimbledon Villa by Gundry + Ducker, Jacob’s Flat by Paul Archer Design and Hillside House by Mike Tuck Studio.

The projects were shortlisted from over 150 entries by a jury made up of urban design manager at London Borough of Camden Ed Jarvis, architecture director of Wallpaper* magazine Ellie Stathaki, David Kohn Architects associate Jennifer Dyne and Hilson Moran sustainability director Marie-Louise Schembri.

Hillside House by Mike Tuck Studio
Mike Tuck Studio made the shortlist for Hillside House. Photo by Luca Piffaretti

The jury highlighted the standout trends for 2024 as the use of sustainable materials, bold colour palettes and cost-efficient solutions.

This year’s overall winner will be revealed at a ceremony on 14 May at The London Centre, alongside other prizes including the People’s Choice Award, which is now open for voting.

Last year’s overall winner was The Secret Garden Flat, designed by Nic Howett Architect to feel “like an oasis” in the city.

Other winners included Low Energy House by Architecture for London, which took home the Environmental Leadership Prize, and CLT House by Unknown Works, which received the Unique Character Prize.

Scroll down to see all 16 shortlisted projects:


Exterior of Aden Grove by Emil Eve
Photo by Taran Wilkhu

Aden Grove by Emil Eve


Interior of Apartment with a Mezzanine by Office Ten Architecture
Photo by Sarah Rainer

Apartment with a Mezzanine by Office Ten Architecture


Interior of Chelsea Brut by Pricegore
Photo by Johan Dehlin

Chelsea Brut by Pricegore


Interior of Flitch Cottage by Whittaker Parsons
Photo by Ellen Hancock

Flitch Cottage by Whittaker Parsons


The Green Machine by Suprblk Studio
Photo by Nicholas Worley

The Green Machine by Suprblk Studio


Exterior of Heyford Avenue by Manuel Urbina Studio
Photo by Rayan Bamhayan

Heyford Avenue by Manuel Urbina Studio


Interior of Hillside House by Mike Tuck Studio
Photo by Luca Piffaretti

Hillside House by Mike Tuck Studio


Exterior of House extension in Stoke Newington by VATRAA
Photo by Jim Stephenson

House extension in Stoke Newington by VATRAA


Interior of A House in East London by Charles Holland Architects
Photo by Jim Stephenson

A House in East London by Charles Holland Architects


Interior of House Made by Many Hands by Cairn
Photo by James Retief

House Made by Many Hands by Cairn


Exterior of Jacob's Flat by Paul Archer Design
Photo courtesy of Paul Archer Design

Jacob’s Flat by Paul Archer Design


Exterior of Perforated House by Novak Hiles Architects
Photo by Marcus Peel

Perforated House by Novak Hiles Architects


Exterior of Tin Hat by Nimtim Architects
Photo by Megan Taylor

Tin Hat by Nimtim Architects


Triangle House by Brown Urbanism
Photo courtesy of Brown Urbanism

Triangle House by Brown Urbanism


Interior of Two-Up Two-Down House by Khan Bonshek
Photo by James Retief

Two-Up Two-Down House by Khan Bonshek


Exterior of Wimbledon Villa by Gundry + Ducker
Photo by Andrew Meredith

Wimbledon Villa by Gundry + Ducker

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Marjan van Aubel unveils "even more reflective and immersive" solar-powered installation

8 minutes and 20 seconds by Marjan van Aubel

Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel has exhibited a solar-powered installation in collaboration with car brand Lexus at this year’s Milan design week.

Named 8 minutes and 20 seconds in reference to the amount of time it takes sunlight to reach the earth, the installation features a full-size silhouette of the brand’s Future Zero-Emission Catalyst concept car made using sheets of organic photovoltaics that rely on sunlight to function.

Following its first showcase at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami) last year, the installation was updated by Lexus from its initial iteration to be “even more reflective and immersive” within its new context at the Superstudio garden in Milan.

View of 8 minutes and 20 seconds at Milan design week
The installation is showcased in the garden at Superstudio

“In my ideal future, the future is solar-powered,” Marjan van Aubel told Dezeen.

“Where we can generate energy on the location where we need it in a beautiful way, not only aesthetically, but also done in a way that’s thinking about [a] materials impact on our world,” she continued.

“Design week is about showing new things, working with colours and giving this optimistic hope [and] joyful experience.”

Concept car silhouette within installation in Milan by Marjan van Aubel
A true-to-size silhouette of the Lexus concept car centres the installation

Exhibited in a range of colours, the silhouette of the concept car centres the installation and is composed of a steel structure within which the panels were held – each depicting a different “slice” of the car.

The structure was raised on a platform finished with mirrored acrylic that nods to Lexus’ future use of this technology, and is imbedded with motion sensors that trigger sounds when approached by visitors.

Among the new additions to the installation are four sculptural trees that surround the car and are similarly made using steel and acrylic panels.

Holographic car within 8 minutes and 20 seconds exhibited in Milan
The steel structure is raised by a platform imbedded with motion sensors

Situated behind the car, an “interactive sun” – made up of 16 of Van Aubel’s Sunne lamps arranged in a circle – is hosted within a white box with a circular entrance. Inside, a sensor triggers the lamps to change colour when a visitor touches it.

Reprised from Van Aubel’s Solar Biennale, a circular sculptural seating area was also placed within the installation and is finished with mirrored acrylic.

Following its showcase in Milan, the travelling installation will likely be exhibited at another location, although it is not yet known where.

Additionally, the artwork has been designed for disassembly and will be recycled at the end of its lifecycle.

Interactive sun within installation by Marjan van Aubel
16 lamps are arranged in a circle to form an ‘interactive sun’

“[Recycling] is a very important part of the way I work and design,” said Van Aubel.

“What’s nice with the solar panels [is that] they are not made of toxic materials, or glued together,” she continued. “Even the solar cells can be taken apart and can be reused and recycled.”

View of 8 minutes and 20 seconds at Milan design week
The space features a circular seating area finished with mirrored acrylic

Alongside van Aubel, designer Hideki Yoshimoto has also collaborated with Lexus to create an immersive installation featuring illuminated fibreglass sculptures.

Other exhibitions and installations currently on show at Milan design week include a show by designer Faye Toogood that explores “sexuality and the body” and furniture made from reused skyscraper formwork.

The photography is courtesy of Lexus.

8 minutes and 20 seconds is open from 15 to 21 April at Superstudio during Milan design week. See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week. 

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Day four from Milan design week 2024

dezeen live

The Dezeen team are reporting live from Milan Design Week (15-19 April). Read on for all the coverage from the fourth day (Thursday 18 April) – and follow the live feed for today’s activity!


 

5:30pm Dezeen co-ceo Ben Hobson reports from a talk that has just taken place in the middle of Dutch brand Moooi‘s Living Room exhibition at Salone Dei Tessuti.

Dezeen’s editorial director Max Fraser spoke to Yves Behar, Lidewij Edelkoort and Marcel Wanders about how lighting, scent and surfaces can combine to create richer interior environments.

This is Dezeen’s last talk of Milan design week, which means that you’ll be much more likely to see Max – who has been moderating all week – out at Bar Basso tonight! Saluti!

moooi talk
Image by Ben Hobson

 

5:15pm Luggage brand Rimowa has collaborated with coffee maker La Marzocco on the Linea Mini espresso machine.

Caffe Rimowa
Rimowa and La Marzocco have collaborated on a mini espresso machine

To launch the collaboration they have been hosting the Caffe Rimowa all week during Milan design week.

As day four begins to wind up before this evening’s festivities, we’ll need all the caffeine we can get to make it through – happy for it also to be in the form of espresso martinis.

caffe rimowa
The brands have launched the new product at a pop-up Caffe Rimowa

The Linea Mini is made in La Marzocco‘s factory in Florence and the signature Rimowa grooved panels that can be found on their luggage and clad the coffee machine were made in Rimowa’s Cologne factory, before the two are assembled by hand.

rimowa caffe
Jennifer Hahn took home one of those little chocolates, which they have custom printed for the collab

 

4:45pm Spotted at Spazio Maiocchi: Sabine Marcelis‘s first-ever chair design, created for Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum.

sabine marcelis chair
Image by Jennifer Hahn

And check out Dezeen’s TikTok of Sabine’s installation with Paul Cournet called Design Space AlUla (see 3:15pm entry from day two).


 

4:30pm Francis Kéré spoke to Dezeen’s Starr Charles (see 4pm entry from day two) about his circular pavilion made from spruce logs designed for Germany kitchen brand Next125 at Milan design week.

“If you think about [a cave], you relate to the light from outside to little openings,” Kéré said.

“This is what brought us to think about using these logs and let gaps in between so that light can come through. That was [going to] create a warm place; a welcoming place.”

Read the full article now › 

The Fireplace by Francis Kéré
Francis Kéré arranges spruce log pavilion around communal kitchen in Milan

 

4:00pm Dezeen’s Jane Englefield is still in Milan‘s Isola district, where designers from the MENA region are showing at the Routes to Roots exhibition.

Aluminium pavilion
A mini, folded aluminium “pavilion” was construed as “a contemporary interpretation of Islamic architecture”

A handful of the designers took cues from various local architecture and materials when creating their pieces.

Saudi Arabian practitioners Abdulqader ALsuwaidan, Hayat Almousa, Lama Dardas and Nawaf Alghamdi collaborated to create a mini, folded aluminium “pavilion” as “a contemporary interpretation of Islamic architecture”.

handbag
Manahel Al Qassem has designed handbags from biodegradable materials

Manahel Al Qassem, also from Saudi Arabia, designed handbags informed by the country’s architectural forms using a “zero waste biomaterial”.

Shells
Shell Homage made disc lights out of egg and nut shells

Egyptian collective Shell Homage created disc-shaped lighting out of biogradable materials made from egg and nut shells.


 

3:30pm Around the Table is an installation by Spanish design studio Masquespacio, writes Dezeen and interiors reporter Jane Englefield.

table
Masquespacio’s simple but effective installation transforms as day turns to night

Curated for Isola Studio, the table setting and tableware pieces were designed to transform the venue into a private space for dinner experiences at night.

table
The Spanish design studio created all the tableware. Images Jane Englefield

 

3:00pm British studio Foster + Partners has unveiled its latest chair design for German furniture brand Walter Knoll, the seventh in their ongoing collaboration.

Osuu chair
Osuu chairs are a collaboration between Foster + Partners and Walter Knoll

The chair’s front legs, arms and supportive upper backrest are made from solid steam bent dowels.

Osuu chair
The Osuu chair comes with removable leather seat covers

The molded plywood seat rests on timber cross rails, gently curving over the top of the backrest and downwards towards the floor.

osuu
The chairs are made from bentwood and plywood

Called Osuu, the streamlined which chair features removable leather seat covers, was showcased in Walter Knoll’s spacious Brera showroom – Cajsa Carlson

Osuu chair
The chairs are available in a range of wood colours. Images by Cajsa Carlson

 

2:45pm At the Issey Miyake store, innovative usage of everyday object animates an installation, called Fold and Crease, by the Dutch art collective We Make Carpets.

issey miyake
The “blankets” are made from everyday wooden skewers

Dezeen’s Clara Finnigan reports from the store, where coloured wooden skewers and pins stuck into foam sheets give the impression of cascading, crafted “blankets”.

Find out more about Fold and Crease on Dezeen Events Guide › 


 

2:30pm Georgian studio Rooms Studio has created a series of six sculptural beds for an exhibition at Italian arts school SIAM on Via Santa Marta, in the 5vie district.

rooms studio
Rooms Studio’s beds with exhaust pipes

One of the beds includes a metallic mattress and has exhaust pipes on the bottom, perfect for getting a few Z’s while going at the fast pace of Milan design week – Ben Dreith

rooms studio
Six sculptural beds are on show at SIAM in 5vie. Images by Ben Dreith

 

2:00pm Dezeen’s social editor Clara Finnigan has been to see skincare brand Aesop‘s first partnership with Salone del Mobile.

Aesop
One of four Aesop spaces is in Piazza Cordusio

They are hosting four activations across the city. At the Piazza Cordusio, the space is clad in tiles made from soap.

The walls are clad in tiles made from Aesop soap. Images by Clara Finnigan

 

1:30pm We have rounded up a selection of key installations from Milan design week (see below).

One of the twelve is the installation at Salone del Mobile designed by film director David Lynch (see 2:45pm entry from day two), which you can now read the full report about by Cajsa Carlson, featuring all the photos.


 

1:15pm Play a game of chair or dog with us from Baranzate Ateliers!

dog chair
Image by Jane Englefield

Besides the chainmail (see 11:15am entry below), 7,000 square metres of collectible design is on display at the second edition of Baranzate Ateliers presented by Zaventem Ateliers.

Belgian-based Zaventem Ateliers showcases work from “industrial wastelands” in European cities.

Founded in 2019 at an ex-industrial warehouse in the village of Zaventem, near Brussels, Zaventem Ateliers is now home to 21 emerging and established creators “united by their passion for producing and processing materials”.


 

12:30pm Dry ice, smoke machines, steam – all three have been notably deployed across Milan design week installations to add atmosphere and, arguably, to help soften the edges of newly fabricated installs that can otherwise land in ancient Milanese courtyards with stark contrast.

The glass panels used in Lasvit’s installation were created in Europe’s largest glass kiln

Inherently hard to capture on film, the Dezeen team have seen steam rising from around Samuel Ross‘s toilet for Kohler, smoke machines concealing and revealing the Lasvit installation, and in traditional MAD Architects fashion, billowing clouds of smoke animate their Amazing Walk installation with Amazon.

MAD architects
MAD Architect’s Ma Yansong can just be seen through the smoke, as he stands in his Amazing Walk installation

Showing for the seventh time in Milan, MAD’s huge Amazing Walk installation has taken over the Cortile della Farmacia courtyard of the University of Milan for the week.

samuel ross
For the eagle-eyed, steam rises gently from the base of Samuel Ross’s toilet for Kohler

 

11:30am At the Acquasanta installation by AATC and Co, part of the Design Variations exhibition at Milan design week, brands showed limited-edition collectible designs made from “200-million-years-old” marble from the historic Breccia Medicea dell’Acquasanta quarry.

marble
Designers were asked to showcase the multiple layers of the stone

AATC and Co art director Umberto Gabriele told Dezeen’s deputy editor Cajsa Carlson that the brand gave designers a three-part brief: to use a very old material but give it a contemporary vision, to create designs that showcase the multiple layers of the stone, and to think of sustainability by using specific cuts of stone that might otherwise have gone to waste.

marble table
Designers’ contemporary vision saw marble and metal combined

Among the pieces was design studio Etamorph‘s curvy pink stool, which showcases the stratification of the marble in the mountain.

marble milan design week
The Acquasanta installation by AATC and Co is part of the Design Variations exhibition

“It tries to interpret the layers in a way that explores it with geometry, the curves and layers of stone, because this is very sexy,” Etamorph design director Enrico Tognoni told Dezeen.

“This stone might be two million years old – because the entire quarry is 200 million old – it gives us an idea of how small we are.”


 

11:15am Collectible design showcase Baranzate Ateliers came fully armed this year, with Mexican studio Panorammma and Belgian designers Chanel Kapitanj and Niels Raoul Boone all showing chainmail seating.

Baranzate Ateliers
Baranzate Ateliers presents the work of 35 studios
Baranzate ateliers
Several designers presented chainmail pieces
Baranzate Ateliers
Dezeen’s Jane Englefield captures Niels Raoul Boone chainmail chair. Images by Jennifer Hahn

 

10:30am At Super Club in Tortona last night, Dezeen co-hosted an America night party with North American design platform ICFF and others. Dezeen co-ceo Wai Shin Li and US editor Ben Dreith were both in attendance.

america night party
The America Night party took place at Super Club in Tortona

 

10:00am Dezeen’s Jennifer Hahn has also been to see DesignSingapore Council’s return to Milan design week with Future Impact 2, an exhibition looking at material innovation “to create a more sustainable future”.

From designer Gabriel Tan, lamps with 3D-printed skeletons feature shades hand-woven from translucent fishing line, which showcase how tech and craft can collaborate – rather than one supplanting the other.

Lamps
Lamps feature shades woven from fishing line

A mono material chair by David Lee – made from a single sheet of aluminium so it can be easily recycled once the water-based paint is stripped away – was informed by the shape of the PlayStation logo.

aluminium chair
David Lee’s aluminium furniture was inspired by the Playstation logo

Genevieve Ang and Interactive Materials Lab exhibited heat-transmitting ceramics.

Elsewhere, a stool by Christian+Jade was made with a seat of natural rubber derived from the Rubber tree, and a base made of wood from the same tree, which is normally incinerated once the tree no longer produces rubber.

rubber stool
Christian+Jade’s stool used wood and batural rubber derived from the Rubber tree

 

9:00am Good morning! Kicking off day four at Milan design week with one of the Dezeen team’s favourite projects so far.

The École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) is exhibiting cellulose-sponge furniture designed by product design master’s students, to be shipped in the form of flat sheets and expanded at home by wetting them in the shower.

UPS display
École cantonale d’art de Lausanne presents Under Pressure Solutions at Spazio Orso 16 in Milan

The show at Spazio Orso 16, which is titled UPS – Under Pressure Solutions, is an experimental research project led by five industrial designers teaching at ECAL.

expanding foam furniture
The cellulose-sponge furniture is shipped in flat sheets before being expanded at home with water

The biodegradable material can expand to up to ten times its size and, once dried, can hold even heavy loads – as kindly demonstrated by ECAL graduate Maxwell Ashford.

strong foam furniture
Once wetted and dried the material can hold heavy loads. Imagery is by Jennifer Hahn

 

To keep you up to date, follow the live coverage from. You can catch up on everything that happened on day one and day two and day three at Milan design week.

Dezeen Events Guide has created a Milan design week digital guide highlighting the key events at the festival.

See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest information you need to know to attend the event, as well as a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

All times are London time.

The lead image is by Jane Englefield.

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Patrick Carroll presents knitted "paintings" at JW Anderson store

JW Anderson store in Milan

Artist Patrick Carroll has used recycled yarn to create hand-knitted painting-style pieces for the Days textile exhibition at JW Anderson‘s Milan store during Milan design week.

Carroll presented translucent artworks that look “as if they are paintings”, which were made using a 1970s flatbed domestic knitting machine and displayed on wooden stretcher bars – the skeleton of a traditional art canvas – in the store.

Canvases by Patrick Carroll
Days is a textile exhibition by Patrick Carroll

“My stuff is a little bit transparent – you can see the architecture of it all,” Carroll told Dezeen at the JW Anderson flagship store in Milan, where the work is exhibited in a show called Days.

“I was making clothing initially,” he explained, donning one of his own pink creations.

The pieces are on display at Milan’s JW Anderson store

Carroll decided to apply his practice to artworks, designing pieces made from yarn salvaged from remainder shops that liquidate the fashion industry’s leftover textiles rather than sourcing new materials.

Recycled wool, linen, mohair, silk and cashmere all feature in the rectilinear works, which are finished in colours ranging from coral to aqua to ochre.

Colourful textile pieces by Patrick Carroll
They range from big to small

Like Carroll’s clothing, each piece was characterised by one or a handful of words lifted from sources including literature, existing artworks or the artist’s own writing.

The smallest pieces in the collection were displayed on gridded shelving while larger pieces can be found on various walls throughout the store.

When viewed together, the works were position to create a “modular chorus”, explained the artist, who encouraged viewers to form their own relationships with the words weaved into the textiles.

Days follows Carroll’s first collaboration with JW Anderson in 2022 when the artist designed seven knitted outfits for the brand. The clothes were worn by models posing on chunky blue plinths positioned outside the venue of JW Anderson’s Spring Summer 2023 menswear show in Milan.

“I think what makes the works a little bit unique is that they have legs in all these disciplines – fashion, design and art,” added Carroll.

Red artwork by Patrick Carroll for Milan's JW Anderson store
Carroll’s artworks display a mix of single words and phrases

Founded by Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson, JW Anderson previously created hoodies and tailored shorts moulded from plasticine for its Spring Summer 2024 womenswear show at London Fashion Week.

Various other fashion brands have a presence at this year’s Milan design week. Hermès has created an installation that uses reclaimed bricks, slate, marble and terracotta to draw attention to the brand’s artisan roots while Marimekko has transformed a traditional Milanese bar into a flower-clad day-to-night cafe.

The photography is courtesy of Patrick Carroll and JW Anderson. 

Days is on display from 17 to 21 April 2024 at the JW Anderson store, Via Sant’Andrea 16, Milan. See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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Minimal Metallic Bar Stool Celebrates The Rawness Of Aluminum & A Simple Construction System

Switching out bulky chairs in my home for compact convenient little stools has become my newfound love. Stools deserve to be given way more credit than they get, cause they pack a punch in their small form. Stools are often overlooked, maybe because they occupy minimum space, and aren’t overbearing. But these traits are what make stools so great in my opinion! I mean, they’re compact, and a great space-saving furniture option for our modern homes. They are also super portable. Bar stools are also pretty great, not just for sitting on the bar, but they can be placed in different sections of your home, where they can function as convenient seating solutions while also adding some spunk to your space. And a great bar stool you may want to look at is the Foundation bar stool by Bestcase.

Designer: Bestcase

Designed by the American brand Bestcase, the Foundation bar stool is a beautiful celebration of the rawness of aluminum, and the simple manufacturing techniques used to build it. It was designed by Bestcase co-founder Charles Constantine and was unveiled in 2022 as a part of a collection that was crafted from aluminum sheet material.  The minimal and sturdy stool features scaled-up sheets that are bent via a technique that is traditionally utilized to add some structure and solidity to thinner materials. This displays the structural as well as decorative qualities of aluminum, and how it can be durable and strong, while also retaining some aesthetic value.

The Foundation bar stools are equipped with mechanical connections, and a raw satin waxed aluminum finish or a powder-coated color. Bestcases describes the Foundation bar stool as “an exercise in simplicity”, and it quite beautifully celebrates the exceptional material properties of aluminum. The Foundation stool is customizable in depth, width, and height, and its sturdy structure allows seat backs and upholstery to be added to the frame.

The Foundation bar stool showcases a simple construction system, and the rawness and strength of aluminum. It has no additional frills or tassles, and only relies on the structural integrity and choice of the material to elevate the design and allow it to truly shine through.

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This next-gen Wi-Fi router with a Built-in VPN lets you access the internet without anyone stealing your data

Sure, your phone and laptop have VPNs… but does your smart speaker? Your home camera? Smart doorbell? Baby monitor? It’s easy to think of yourself as protected when your primary device operates on a VPN, but the truth is that our houses are filled with IoT devices that remain vulnerable to brute force because of one weak point of entry – a basic router. The Rio Router aims to change that with a built-in VPN, device allowlisting protocols, guest network features, and the ability to set parental controls from the router itself. Whether it’s a government trying to snoop on you, someone trying to hack you, companies trying to sell your data, or your internet service provider secretly gathering info about you, the Rio Router cuts it all off right at the source. It encrypts information in a way that anonymizes your entire smart home, so you can browse the internet freely, and your smart home gadgets can access the internet without being vulnerable to data theft.

Designer: Rio Router

Click Here to Buy Now: $299 $549 ($250 off). Hurry, only 15/290 left! Raised over $136,000.

Most routers are designed to help you access the internet, but that access can sometimes be a double-edged sword, creating a path for bad-faith actors to access your IoT devices and even the data within them. A simple WiFi password can only do so much, right? That’s why the Rio Router uses a protocol that requires you to personally allowlist any device connecting to your network. Every IoT device gets approved by you, and if there’s any device you don’t approve of trying to connect to your network, it doesn’t get access to your network or to the devices on it. Think of it as a security guard that only allows you into a building if you have the right ID, and turns you away if you don’t.

Even for approved devices accessing the internet through the Rio Router, all data gets encrypted through the router’s built-in VPN. This offers two distinct benefits – for starters, it lets you access the internet and streaming services without any government or geolocation restrictions (yes, that means being able to use TikTok even if it gets banned), but it also encrypts all personal information so that your internet service provider doesn’t get unfettered access to your life… or even corporations like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon that feed off of information from smart home devices.

Obviously, that level of access does come with its downsides – you want your family to stay safe from potentially dangerous websites. The router allows you to set parental controls for specific devices, preventing your child’s laptop or tablet from being able to access harmful sites, and an integrated DNS and web filtering system provides all-around protection, preventing all devices from accessing malicious sites that could scam/phish you or corrupt your device with ransomware.

Following the security guard analogy from earlier, think of your internet connection as a building with multiple wings/departments. Different employees can only access the wings or departments they are authorized to, and a low-level employee can’t necessarily go snooping in the CEO’s office or through the confidential file room. Similarly, the Rio Router creates dedicated rooms for each category of devices. Your smart kitchen gadgets can’t access or communicate with your bedroom’s smart devices even if they’re on the same network. This technology, known as SecureRoom™, helps create dedicated chambers for different internet devices, so every gadget on the same network doesn’t necessarily have access to all the data on the network. The SecureRoom™ is a brilliant way of ensuring that your gadgets don’t have access to information they don’t have clearance for. Your living room smart speaker doesn’t necessarily know what’s happening in the kitchen, and the baby monitor in the bedroom isn’t vulnerable to being snooped on by your thermostat.

The SecureRoom™ system also allows you to create guest networks for when you have people visiting you at home. No more sharing passwords for the main WiFi network – guests get to access the internet through a SecureRoom™ guest network. Their data stays safe and so does yours – you can approve devices to the SecureRoom™ to ensure that nobody else is accessing the internet, and once your guests leave your house, they’re removed permanently from the network and can only access the internet once you grant them approval.

The Rio Router runs WiFi 6 for fast and reliable connections from every corner of your house and even comes with an iOS/Android app that lets you control the router, set protocols, create SecureRooms™, and grant/deny approvals to external devices. It gives you the liberating taste of what true internet freedom feels like, allowing you to rely on IoT devices without the fear of them spying on you, as well as preventing anyone from hacking into your network or even accessing data they’re not privy to. It also helps that you can now browse international titles on your streaming service so even if The Office leaves Netflix in the USA, it’s still available in some other country!

It’s 2024, and if your internet service provider is giving you a free router with your connection, you’d best not trust it with all your data. After all, if it’s free, you’re the product. The Rio Router starts at $299 and comes with a free app, and VPN service free for 12 months. You can use the Rio to set up as many as 4 different SSIDs (WiFi access points), 8 Rio mesh extenders, and up to 16 SecureRooms™ at a time.

Click Here to Buy Now: $299 $549 ($250 off). Hurry, only 15/290 left! Raised over $136,000.

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The Aptly Named Mi Casita Is A Tiny Home With A Clever Space-Saving Interior

Designed by Modern Tiny Living, the Mi Casita, which quite accurately translates to ‘my little house’, measures around 26 feet, and showcases a clever space-saving interior, jam-packed with nifty features that are typically seen in larger models. The home features a bathroom with a tub, and a downstairs bedroom despite its modest length. It is founded on a triple-axle trailer and is accentuated by fiber cement board siding as finishing, an engineered wood trim, a charcoal-colored steel roof, and a custom cedar door.

Designer: Modern Tiny Living

If you put the home into perspective, it is even smaller than Baluchon’s 20 ft Sherpa tiny home, which is its pint-sized model. The interior of the home is quite full and is packed to the brim considering its compact size. As you enter the home, you are welcomed by a kitchen that includes a double sink, fridge/freezer, electric oven, and cooktop, as well as a microwave and custom cabinetry. The kitchen is connected to the living room, which features a small sofa, as well as a dining table. It is a snug and cozy area.

The living room is further connected to the downstairs master bedroom via a sliding door. The bedroom isn’t as big or spacious as compared to other rooms seen in larger homes, but it does have a sufficient amount of headroom. Since it is placed on the ground floor, this means the residents don’t need to go upstairs and position themselves on their knees to get into bed. The downstairs section also includes the bathroom, which is quite well-equipped including a standard flushing toilet, freestanding bathtub and shower, as well as a washer/dryer.

Besides the downstairs master bedroom, Mi Casita also includes a standard loft-style space with a low ceiling and a double bed, which are great for guests. You can access the room via the storage-integrated staircase. Currently, there is no update on the pricing of the tiny home.

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