Dezeen teamed up with kitchen appliances brand Gaggenau to host and film a talk about reduction in design with representatives from Zaha Hadid Architects, SOM and Industrial Facility during Milan design week 2024.

Moderated by Dezeen's editorial director Max Fraser, the talk explored how principles of reduction and essentialism in architecture and design can be employed to improve our lives.

Titled Design by Reduction, the panel gathered contributors from different industries, with Zaha Hadid Architects associate director Johannes Schafelner representing architecture, Industrial Facility founder Kim Colin discussing industrial and product design, and SOM interiors lead Francesca Portesine representing interior design.

Amongst the topics discussed by the panel was how the process and aesthetics of reduction in design can improve well-being through fostering simplicity in people's day-to-day lives.

Explaining the role of reduction in interior design, Portesine stated: "Generally, it is a very good thing that there is less rather than more to look at, to feel, to concentrate, to give importance to one element at a time."

"The balance of a space is created by simplicity, by reduction of materials," she continued.

These comments were mirrored by Colin, who suggested that the role of the designer is to counter the complexity of the world by making a complicated world simple.

"I don't think we need to build in complexity – complexity is there in everything," she said. "We really try hard to simplify things and make things easier. We deserve for things to be made more easily and more easily accessible."

She went on to describe how, in the field of industrial design, reduction can be used as a means to create products that fit holistically into the lives of users.

"Often we try to quiet the noise. You can imagine a room full of products that are in the marketplace, shouting for your attention for you to buy them," she explained.

"They want you to buy them," she continued. "But then what happens when you live with them? You're living with a bunch of things that are shouting at you."

Schafelner described how reduction in architecture allows architects to design and build more efficiently, mitigating both the cost and environmental impact of buildings.

"When we talk about reduction, it's all about efficiency," he said. "It's really minimising the design, minimising the structure to have a better product."

He went on to describe how artificial intelligence (AI) can assist the architect in working more efficiently.

"AI will also help us," he stated. "There are now new tools which automatically give you realistic images in one second."

"It's a much more intuitive workflow. And in the future, this will definitely help us to be more efficient."

Addressing the question of how principles of reduction can help to build a more sustainable future, Colin posited the return of the principle of "less is more."

"Using less material, less time, less effort, less shipping – less is more is back," she claimed.

"It should be easy to make as well as easy to live with. They should go hand in hand."

The talk took place in the conservatory of Milan's historic Villa Necchi Campiglio, where the brand created an immersive installation called Elevation of Gravity to showcase its appliances.

Amongst the brand's new launches was the Essential Induction cooktop, which has been designed to integrate into a kitchen worktop seamlessly.

Covertly integrated induction hobs are integrated into a conductive Dekton stone countertop, indicated by a small LED light. The only other visible element of the cooktop is a performance dial located on the side of the countertop.

The Essential Induction cooktop was designed to break down barriers between spaces used for cooking and living in the kitchen, and the principle of reduction at play in its design informed the topic of Dezeen's talk.

The photography is by Giovanni Franchellucci.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Bentley. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post "Less is more is back" says panel during Gaggenau talk at Milan design week appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen has teamed up with DesignMarch to livestream a day of talks on the role of architecture and design in addressing global imbalances. Watch the concluding session here from 2:30pm London time.

DesignTalks is a programme of panel discussions that take place at the Henning Larsen Architects-designed Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavík, Iceland.

The final session explores the design of movement and the "otherworld" through media such as choreography, fashion, embroidery and queer culture, featuring choreographer and playwright Sigríður Soffía Níelsdóttir, author and filmmaker Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir, interior architect and former editor of Frame magazine Robert Thiemann, as well as visual artist James Merry, a long-term collaborator with Icelandic singer Björk.

Other topics to be explored in the discussions include how designers and architects can design for the human senses and its responses, as well as how to develop new ways of learning through design.

The talk will feature Atelier NL co-founder Lonny van Ryswyck, and Harry Parr, architect and co-founder of London-based studio Bompas & Parr, who specialises in multi-sensory experience design.

The series of talks have taken place throughout the day on 24 April 2024 and is split up into four themed talks, which have been livestreaming on Dezeen.

The first session was livestreamed earlier on Dezeen and focused on architecture's role in supporting communities to confront history and shape alternative futures, with featured speakers founding principal and co-executive director of MASS Design Group Alan Ricks and visual artist Rán Flygenring.

The second session, which was also livestreamed on Dezeen earlier today, explored how design can break down cultural barriers.

It featured contributions from fashion designer and founder of ready-to-wear brand Ervin Latimmier, co-founders of design studio Flétta Birta Rós Brynjólfsdóttir and Hrefna Sigurðardóttir, as well as art director Lisa Lapauw and photographer Mous Lambrat.

The day will conclude with the official opening ceremony of the 16th edition of the DesignMarch festival, Iceland's largest design fair.

Curated by Hlin Helga Guðlaugsdóttir, the festival brings together discussions, exhibitions and shows spanning architecture, fashion, interiors and graphic design.

The full lineup of talks and more information about the festival can be found here. Tickets to the design fair can be purchased via this link.

DesignMarch takes place from 24 to 28 April 2024 in Reykjavík, Iceland. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with DesignMarch. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch the third session of DesignMarch’s talks focusing on designing for the human senses appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen has teamed up with DesignMarch to livestream a day of talks exploring the role of architecture and design in addressing global imbalances. Watch the second session here from midday uk time.

DesignTalks is a programme of live talks that take place at the Henning Larsen Architects-designed Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavík, Iceland.

The second session, which will be streamed from here from midday uk time, will examine how design can break down cultural barriers and what steps architects and designers can take to build more inclusive environments for communities.

Featured speakers include fashion designer and founder of ready-to-wear brand Ervin Latimmier. Joining Latimmier on the panel will be art director Lisa Lapauw, photographer Mous Lambrat, as well as Birta Rós Brynjólfsdóttir and Hrefna Sigurðardóttir, co-founders of design studio Flétta.

The series of talks will take place throughout the day on 24 April 2024 and is split into four themed talks, which will be livestreamed in three sessions on Dezeen.

The first session was livestreamed earlier on Dezeen and focused on architecture's role in empowering communities and shaping alternative futures.

Featured speakers included founding principal and co-executive director of MASS Design Group Alan Ricks and visual artist Rán Flygenring.

Later in the afternoon, the third session will explore the design of movement and the "otherworld" through mediums such as choreography, fashion and queer culture, while the final part of the session will examine how designers and architects can design for the human senses and its responses.

The conversations will feature contributions from choreographer and playwright Sigríður Soffía Níelsdóttir, visual artists James Merry, interior architect and former editor of Frame magazine Robert Thiemann, Atelier NL co-founder Lonny van Ryswyck, as well as Bompas & Parr co-founder Harry Parr.

The day will conclude with the official opening ceremony of the 16th edition of DesignMarch festival, Iceland's largest design fair.

Curated by Hlin Helga Guðlaugsdóttir, the festival brings together discussions, exhibitions and shows spanning architecture, fashion, interiors and graphic design.

The full lineup of talks and more information about the festival can be found here. Tickets to the design fair can be purchased via this link.

DesignMarch takes place from 24 to 28 April 2024 in Reykjavík, Iceland. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with DesignMarch. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch the second session of DesignMarch's talks exploring how design can dismantle cultural barriers appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen has teamed up with DesignMarch to livestream a day of talks focusing on the role of architecture and design in addressing global imbalances. Watch the first session here from 10am.

DesignTalks comprises a series of discussions that take place at the Henning Larsen Architects-designed Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Streaming on Dezeen from 10:00am London time, the first talk will explore the role of architecture in empowering communities to confront their histories, shape alternative futures and maximise local resources more effectively through design.

Featured speakers include founding principal and co-executive director of MASS Design Group Alan Ricks and visual artist Rán Flygenring.

The series of talks will take place throughout the day on 24 April 2024 and is split into four themed talks, which will be livestreamed in three sessions on Dezeen.

Later today, the second session will focus on design's capacity to dismantle cultural barriers and foster better environment for communities.

Panellists will include fashion designer and founder of ready-to-wear brand Ervin Latimmier, art director Lisa Lapauw, photographer Mous Lambrat, as well as Birta Rós Brynjólfsdóttir and Hrefna Sigurðardóttir, co-founders of design studio Flétta.

The third session will be split into two parts, the first of which will explore the design of movement and the "otherworld" through mediums such as choreography, fashion and queer culture.

The conversation will feature contributions from choreographer and playwright Sigríður Soffía Níelsdóttir, author and filmmaker Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir, interior architect and former editor of Frame magazine Robert Thiemann, as well as visual artist James Merry.

The final part of the session will see Atelier NL co-founder Lonny van Ryswyck, and Bompas & Parr co-founder Harry Parr discuss how designers and architects can design for the human senses and its responses, as well as how to develop new ways of learning through design.

The day will conclude with the official opening ceremony of the 16th edition of the DesignMarch festival, Iceland's largest design fair.

Curated by Hlin Helga Guðlaugsdóttir, the festival brings together discussions, exhibitions and shows spanning architecture, fashion, interiors and graphic design.

The full lineup of talks and more information about the festival can be found here. Tickets to the design fair can be purchased via this link.

DesignMarch takes place from 24 to 28 April 2024 in Reykjavík, Iceland. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with DesignMarch. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch the first session of DesignMarch's talks on architecture's role in community empowerment appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen has teamed up with DesignMarch to livestream a programme of talks by leading designers exploring the role of architecture and design in addressing global imbalances in the creative industry.

To kickstart the festival, a programme of talks will take place throughout the day on 24 April 2024, which will be live streamed from the Henning Larsen Architects-designed Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Called DesignTalks, the event will be split into four themed talks and discussions, which will be livestreamed in three sessions on Dezeen from 10:00am London time.

The first session will explore the role of architecture in supporting communities to confront history, shape alternative futures and how designers can use local resources more effectively.

Amongst the featured speakers will be founding principal and co-executive director of MASS Design Group Alan Ricks and Atelier NL's co-founder Lonny van Ryswyck.

The second session will revolve around design that breaks down cultural barriers and stereotypes, as well as how to build better environments for communities.

Featured speakers will include interior architect and former editor of Frame magazine Robert Thieman, art director Lisa Lapauw, photographer Mous Lambrat, as well as Birta Rós Brynjólfsdóttir and Hrefna Sigurðardóttir, co-founders of design studio Flétta.

The third and final session will be split into two parts. The first half of the afternoon session will explore the design of movement and the "otherworld" through various forms of media including choreography, fashion, embroidery and queer culture.

The talk will feature contributions from choreographer and playwright Sigríður Soffía Níelsdóttir, author and filmmaker Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir, fashion designer and founder of ready-to-wear brand Latimmier, as well as visual artist James Merry.

Later in the afternoon, the second half of the session will be themed around designing for the human senses and responses, as well as new learning.

The final part of the DesignTalks series will include a discussion between graphic designer and visual artist Rán Flygenring and Bompas & Parr co-founder and architect Harry Parr, who specialises in multi-sensory experience design.

The day will finish with the official opening ceremony of the DesignMarch festival, which will bring together panel discussions as well as individual, group and student design shows.

Now in its 16th year, DesignMarch is Iceland's largest design fair. Curated by Hlin Helga Guðlaugsdóttir, the event covers architecture, fashion, interiors and graphic design.

The five-day fair highlights innovation in Icelandic design and architecture and focuses on research, circular design, sustainability, radical and socio-political themes, as well as the senses.

The full lineup of talks and more information about the festival can be found here. Tickets to the design fair can be purchased via this link.

DesignMarch takes place from 24 to 28 April 2024 in Reykjavík, Iceland. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with DesignMarch. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post DesignMarch live talks will focus on the role of design in addressing global imbalances appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen has teamed up with The World Around and Future Observatory to share the highlights from the In Focus: Research event, which focuses on the "critical importance of research in design today".

Taking place at the Design Museum in London, the event will feature speakers including Forensic Architecture director Eyal Weizman, Faber Futures founder Natsai Audrey Chieza and AMO director Samir Bantal.

Curated by The World Around founder Beatrice Galilee and Future Observatory director Justin McGuirk, the event aims to draw attention to the importance of research as a critical tool for contemporary architecture practice.

"The conditions and constraints that contemporary architects must respond to in their daily work – climatic, social, economic, material, technological – are in a state of transformation on a planetary scale," explained Galilee.

"Access to and interpretation of cutting-edge research is therefore a critical element in design and culture today," she continued.

"The World Around is proud to be collaborating with the visionary team at the Future Observatory to join them in spotlighting the urgent role of research as design, as art and as architecture. We hope it will prove to be a provocative and important discussion."

The event will be the first to be hosted in London for The World Around, which launched with its inaugural event in New York in 2020.

In Focus: Research is being presented in partnership with the Design Museum's Future Observatory, which is the organisation's national research programme for the green transition.

"The crises facing the planet today demand that architects and designers challenge 'business as usual'," said Future Observatory director McGuirk.

"Driving the transition by definition makes research a critical aspect of what it means to design. Future Observatory is dedicated to supporting and championing research, and we are delighted to be collaborating with The World Around to bring these pioneering practitioners to a broader audience."

Along with Weizman, Chieza and Bantal, confirmed speakers for the event include architect Feifei Zhou, artist Sammy Baloji, dean of the Royal College of Art's School of Architecture Adrian Lahoud, architect Julia King, executive director of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water Henk Ovink and architect Indy Johar.

To view more about the event, visit its website.

Partnership content

Dezeen is a media partner for The World Around 2024. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch The World Around's In Focus: Research from the Design Museum appeared first on Dezeen.

Brands need to apply human-centric design principles to every aspect of their organisation, says PepsiCo's chief design officer Mauro Porcini in this exclusive talk hosted and filmed by Dezeen for the brand.

Moderated by Dezeen's US editor Ben Dreith, the talk was held to commemorate beverage company PepsiCo's new book Good Design Is for Everyone: The First 10 Years of PepsiCo Design + Innovation, which details the story of its brand design over the past decade.

The book was published by Rizzoli and the talk was held at its bookstore in New York City.

Porcini talked about his experience leading PepsiCo Design, the brand's in-house design arm, since 2012 and how he grew its presence globally.

He defined human-centric design as an approach that takes into account connections between people – both between a company and its users and within a company itself.

When he joined the company, this cultural shift was just beginning to take place, Porcini said.

"I joined the company at a moment of major change, not just of PepsiCo but of society overall," he explained.

"The company was becoming more and more global and there was a drive to design with purpose, creating a real value for people."

Porcini said that at the outset of his time at PepsiCo, the industry was largely focused on packaging rather than building meaningful experiences for people.

He noted that change and disruption do not come easily and that human beings are resistant to change, preferring the safety of the status quo.

"Success and failure are defined by details, by nuances of execution, by reading between the lines," he explained.

Today, there are over 350 people within PepsiCo Design + Innovation, which has 17 design centres across the globe.

The book details the team's industrial, experiential and graphic design strategies for its brands during that 10-year period.

"This is why we did this book. We want to celebrate what we did, but there is so much more," Porcini said. "We are just scratching the surface."

Porcini went on to explain how building a strategy based on experimentation is a vital part of design.

"This is design thinking in action,” he said. “At PepsiCo, we made multiple mistakes, we learned from them and then we fixed them in the next iteration."

Porcini is an advocate for empowering strong local design teams to serve local regions within global brands like PepsiCo.

"We have to be relevant in an authentic way,” he explained. "Through our messages, through our position, our giving back to society, what kind of point of view we have on what's going on in the world."

PepsiCo's portfolio includes a wide range of food and beverage brands, including Lay's, Gatorade and Doritos.

The photography is by Phoebe Streblow.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with PepsiCo. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Watch a talk with Mauro Porcini on PepsiCo's design story appeared first on Dezeen.

Architects need to listen to younger generations and take a collaborative approach to sustainability, according to a panel of design experts in this filmed talk hosted by Dezeen for developer Brookfield Properties.

The panel included Brookfield Properties director of design Pragya Adukia, architecture studio Foster + Partners senior partner Dan Sibert and architecture studio BVN strategy director Esme Banks Marr. The talk was moderated by Dezeen co-CEO Ben Hobson.

The discussion followed the publication of a report commissioned by Brookfield Properties and Foster + Partners, which surveyed workers' thoughts on the importance of sustainability in the workplace.

The panelists discussed how younger generations are increasingly more invested in furthering sustainable practices in their workplaces, with the report finding that 93 per cent of people working in an "environmentally friendly office" felt happier in their job.

"We want to make sure that we're hearing what people say, which is why we co-commissioned this report with Foster + Partners – to listen to what the younger generation at work was saying, to give them a voice around their own sustainability, ideas and goals," Adukia explained.

"The idea of sustainability is really a community-based thing," added Sibert. "[There's] a generational shift. People are no longer interested in just sitting and letting it happen to them, they actually want to be involved in it."

"Our approach has always been 'this is what can be realistically achieved', it's not just a fancy hashtag or a strapline," continued Adukia.

"Let's look at the data points, that's very strong evidence, and then talk about what can be achieved, how we can future proof it."

"People are more vocal about their beliefs and what they'd like to see, it's a good idea to involve these people in bigger conversations, and then take on board what they want to see," she added.

"We can't plead ignorance, none of us can plead ignorance anymore" said Banks Marr, echoing the importance of listening to public opinion around sustainability.

"There are some baseline things that we need to fundamentally just get right in buildings, new and existing, first and foremost. Sounds quite simple, but a lot of people still fail to do it," she concluded.

The panel also discussed how approaches such as biophilic design could help lead to more engagement with the environment and green policy-making.

Defining biophilic design, Banks Marr said "it's not [just] putting plants into a space. Biophilic design is a term that's been used for such a long time and in lots of different types of ways, when actually it means all of your senses, your experience with the space and your connection to nature."

"It's a stepping stone, or a starting point, to taking a really ecological world view of things," she added.

"If I'm in these concrete jungle cities that do not have any connection to nature, and I don't experience that on a daily basis, it doesn't live in my psyche. So how am I expected to care about it and create real change?"

"There's a desire across the board, not just in the city, to make sure we've got spaces to live and breathe in," Adukia concluded.

Similarly, the panel noted the importance of creating long-lasting and future-proofed spaces.

"We need to get ourselves into that mindset where we actually think about things for a much longer term, and think and design them so they will change over time," said Sibert. "So, can the building be designed for multiple lifespans rather than a single lifespan?"

"One has to take the overall sense of why you're building in a city like this," he added.

"Why do we build where, what does it mean for the overall picture of carbon and regeneration? What's possible, but why would you make these choices as clients?"

To conclude the talk, Hobson asked each of the speakers what they believed the key challenges the industry needed to overcome were.

"I think one thing we could definitely get better at, which we're perhaps not currently doing enough, is knowing when to invite the real experts to the table. We don't have to know everything," answered Banks Marr.

"Data is absolutely key," Sibert added. "If we could allow ourselves to find both the right dataset for the purposes of the buildings we have, and also then make the way we manufacture it be database based, I think that would be a massive step forward for us as an industry."

"Our more successful projects have been where we've worked collaboratively and transparently. For any change to be implemented, I think it needs to be taken on board by all of its stakeholders. And that's not just as landlords or developers – tenants, individuals, everyone has to be on board vocal about what they want out of it," Adukia concluded.

The event was held at 30 Fenchurch Street, one of Brookfield Properties' landmark office developments in the City of London.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Brookfield Properties. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post "We can't plead ignorance" on sustainability says panel of design experts appeared first on Dezeen.

The electrification of vehicles is changing the philosophy of how cars are designed, according to a panel of automotive industry experts during a talk hosted by Dezeen and Bentley.

The talk brought together a panel of designers and experts specialising in transport and vehicle design to discuss the future of mobility and the expansion of electric vehicles.

The panellists discussed how consumers should be aware of the political narratives at play when it comes to electrification and sustainability.

"We live in an era where so much of the focus in public discourse is on the negative," Swiss designer Yves Béhar said during the talk. "You have to seep through this sort of clickbait mentality out there to really see what the possibilities are."

Kirsty Dias, managing director at PriestmanGoode, explained her belief that the design industry should assure consumers that electric vehicles are a safe and responsible option in order to encourage its widespread adoption.

"[Anti-EV rhetoric] shouldn't be used as a vote winner for a populist vote, because the climate issue is bigger than an electoral term," Dias said.

"We really need to work as an industry beyond politics and ensure that we're working together to convince people that it is safe and responsible."

The talk, which was titled Towards a New Future of Mobility, explored the modernisation of public transport and how people will be impacted by rapid developments in the transport sector.

Other topics touched on include the uptake of shared and micro mobility, along with the developments in autonomous vehicles.

"I think the third generation EVs [electric vehicles] are truly going to take advantage of what technology can do from a design standpoint, from a user standpoint and from a practicality standpoint," Béhar said.

"It's an actual changing philosophy of how to design cars," added Robin Page, design director at Bentley Motors.

The panellists also discussed how technology such as virtual reality (VR) could be used to improve the accessibility of automobile design.

"I think one of the biggest transformations is the consideration of human factors when it comes to transport", explained Karla Jakeman, head of automated transport at TRL.

"One of the really interesting uses of VR is for people, for example, with neurodiversity issues, to anticipate and plan journeys so that they feel much more comfortable and confident when they're embarking on a journey," Dias said.

"Using the tools we have as designers, you can create these experiences so that you can actually go into someone else's viewpoint and look at things," continued Page. "And then we can come up with solutions to tackle those issues."

If someone has ASD, autism, for example, some of the challenges for one person will be very different to another. We're understanding more and more, so as our understanding builds, then more and more guidance will be provided" added Jakeman.

"Understanding the needs of all of those users is really important. It opens up this box of design opportunities to challenge the industry and move things forward," Page concluded.

The talk was the second in the Lighthouse series of panel discussions hosted by Dezeen and Bentley exploring the future of luxury. It was held at The Lavery Room in Cromwell Place during London Design Festival 2023.

The talk was moderated by Dezeen's editorial director Max Fraser and featured a panel of transport and vehicle designers including Yves Béhar from Fuseproject, Kirsty Dias from Priestman Goode, Robin Page from Bentley Motors and Karla Jakeman from TRL.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Bentley. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Electrification will transform vehicle design philosophy say automotive industry experts appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with US brick company Glen-Gery to host a talk exploring the place brick has in today's urban landscapes.

Moderated by Dezeen's US editor Ben Dreith, the talk was held in Glen-Gery's Brickworks Design Studio in New York City.

Titled 'Brick in Today's Built Environment', the panel featured architects Brittany Macomber from Morris Adjmi Architects, Amanda Morgan from nArchitects and Alyse Talbott from Design Collective.

During the talk, each architect gave a presentation about a recent project that incorporated brick and how the design fits into its contemporary environment.

Macomber highlighted 45 East 7th, a 7-story mixed-use building located on the lower east side, which is comprised of a tripartite brick facade that uses a checkerboard pattern informed by historical buildings in the neighbourhood.

"The Lower East Side has so much brick, I think it was undeniably going to be brick," Macomber added.

Morgan spoke about The New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center, which is situated in the historic district of Auburn, New York.

The building incorporates subtle angling on two of the largest brick facades in order to "bring some texture in and play with light and shadow throughout the seasons".

"The use of brick really grounded the building in both the historic and the material context," said Morgan.

Talbott discussed Solaire 8200 Dixon, an apartment complex in Silver Spring, Maryland, with a facade that incorporates 350,000 bricks.

Talbott further explained that brick is one of the most used materials at Design Collective.

"[Brick] is such a timeless material, I think it does have a place in contemporary architecture," said Talbott.

When it comes to selecting brick as the material of choice for architects, Morgan said that versatility is a key factor.

"You can get any colour, any finish, you can do a thousand buildings in brick and every one of them will be unique."

Glen-Gery offers over 600 brick products available in different sizes and textures. The company has recently launched the second season of their Design Vault podcast exploring how ideas of the past help "inspire and bring new brick designs to life".

To find out more about Glen-Gery, visit its website.

The talk took place on 28 September 2023 at the Brickworks Design Studio in New York City. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Glen-Gery. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Watch a talk on the role of brick in today's world appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen has teamed up with The World Around to stream its In Focus: Radical Repair event, where designers will reflect on architecture's responsibility over the climatic crisis. Watch it live here from 6:00pm to 9:00pm Milan time.

In Focus: Radical Repair invites eight interdisciplinary designers to reflect on the historic responsibility that design and architecture have on climate change, while examining the role the industry can play in "creating, inventing and enacting radical forms of repair".

Throughout the evening, experts will discuss how design can become a leading voice in repairing political, social and ecological issues across communities, and between humans and other species.

The discussions will also focus on how designers and architects can protect vulnerable communities without further harming the planet.

Speakers include architect Yasmeen Lari, who will give a keynote discussing a career dedicated to activism, while coordinator of The Green Wall Initiative, Paul Elvis Tangem, will discuss a project that introduces "radical resilience" in Africa's dry lands through restoration projects and sustainable land management.

Founder of Space Caviar and creative director of Design Academy Eindhoven, Joseph Grima, will speak about "mapping a new generation of non-extractive architecture practices", while Chicago-based architect Jeanne Gang will examine how existing buildings can be reinvented and expanded.

Architect Freddy Mamani will also discuss his work exploring the history of the city of El Alto in Bolivia through buildings based on indigenous crafts and architecture, while Japanese architect Junya Ishigami will discuss a radical approach to ecology, landscape and architecture.

Co-founder of Amateur Architecture, Lu Wenyu, will speak about recycling traditional materials in rural China and Nigerian Poet Aziba Ekio will read a poem commissioned for the event.

In Focus: Radical Repair was created by non-profit organisation The World Around and art museum Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, in collaboration with design institution Triennale Milano.

In addition to In Focus: Radical Repair, The World Around and Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain are also collaborating on two additional architectural public programmes. The second programme will be held at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2024. The details of the third programme have yet to be announced.

"The time of business as usual for designers and architects has come to a close," said The World Around executive director Beatrice Galilee.

"While not uniquely responsible for the climate crisis, architecture as an industry owes a debt to our planet, and there are so many brilliant designers from across the world who are working every day towards repairing the damage: from improving lives of the smallest families to registering change for communities to envisioning a future for tens of millions of people," she continued.

"I'm so excited to welcome this extraordinary line-up of inspiring speakers to Milan, to me, the most important city for design in the world."

The event will be curated by Galilee, along with Fondation Cartier director of curatorial affairs Béatrice Grenier and Triennale Milano president Stefano Boeri.

The World Around is a non-profit organisation founded by Galilee, which hosts critical discussions with experts on design, architecture and culture.

The Fondation Cartier is a contemporary art museum that promotes projects, exhibitions, lectures and programmes with practitioners.

Triennale Milano 2023 is a cultural institution based in the Palazzo dell'Arte where it puts on exhibitions, shows, meetings and workshops that "illustrate today's world from new points of view".

To view more about the event, visit its website.

Partnership content

Dezeen is a media partner for The World Around 2023. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch The World Around's In Focus: Radical Repair live at Triennale Milano appeared first on Dezeen.

Designing with empathy for the consumers of today and the future is a challenge we must take on, says Birsel + Seck co-founder Ayse Birsel at a talk filmed by Dezeen for Global Design Forum in partnership with SAP.

"If we have the users in the room thinking with us and using our tools to think creatively, that changes everything," Birsel said.

Called Creating a Compelling Reason for Change as part of the Circular Design Series, the talk brought together a panel of design and digital thought leaders to discuss how to design for consumers in the face of global economic, environmental and social pressures.

"When we get to designing and changing the system, it's a multifaceted challenge," said vice president at SAP Insights Research Centre David Jonker during the talk.

"Those who will be the disruptors are those who are willing to question some of the fundamental assumptions that we take for granted," he continued.

There is an opportunity to design products to be inherently better and cleaner, said executive chairman and co-founder of Hairstory Eli Halliwell.

"The step-function change comes from rethinking the actual problem that you're trying to solve, versus just iterating on the delivery mechanism or the packaging," Halliwell said.

Birsel also spoke about how inclusive consumer research can promote change, explaining that consumer datasets historically tend to be skewed towards men.

"For example, pianos are not measured and made for women, and that means there are very few great pianists who are women in the world, not because they are not talented, but because the products are not designed for that data set," said Birsel.

"It's on us to design great products for this new era, which is our future," she continued. "We're living longer and longer but the planet's life is shorter and shorter."

Birsel expressed that consumers in today's world have the opportunity to collaborate with designers.

"When I think of circularity of design, it's not only design and brand together anymore, it also includes the user. When we can do that, we build incredible empathy with our users. They feel heard, they feel seen," she said.

Global Design Forum is London Design Festival's curated thought-leadership programme. Its flagship event will take place as part of the London Design Festival in September.

Photography is by Daniel Salemi.

Creating a Compelling Reason for Change is the second talk filmed by Dezeen as part of Global Design Forum's The Future of Packaging symposium, which took place on 23 May 2023 at The Standard High Line Hotel during design festival NYCxDesign. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with London Design Festival. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post "Build empathy with users" says industrial designer Ayse Birsel appeared first on Dezeen.

Parley for the Oceans founder Cyrill Gutsch said that designers must reevaluate their relationship with plastic and collaborate with nature at a talk filmed by Dezeen for Global Design Forum in partnership with SAP.

Gutsch, founder and CEO of the environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans, addressed the importance of the design community taking action in order to combat plastic waste.

The talk, which took place at The Standard High Line Hotel during design festival NYCxDesign, was part of Global Design Forum's The Future of Packaging symposium.

"It's very empowering to see the problems are caused by you," said Gutsch. He described how Parley for the Oceans was founded from "the idea to push the creative community into the centre of a revolution".

"Plastic is a design failure, let's just accept it," he added.

Gutsch also acknowledged the difficulty in phasing out plastic completely, saying that suddenly stopping our global plastic footprint would be "nearly impossible".

He challenged the audience to reshape design industry practices and reduce demand for single-use plastic by repurposing existing plastic waste.

"The act of removing plastic from the environment, that is the positive impact," he continued.

Gutsch spoke about Parley for the Oceans' campaign to intercept and recycle ocean plastic and use that plastic to launch new design campaigns, such as its collaboration with sportswear company Adidas.

"Recycling ends the addiction to virgin plastic – it interrupts the business model of the plastic industry," he said. "A recycling concept that actually works is the nightmare of the plastic industry."

Gutsch also spoke of how designers should avoid packaging entirely by creating "smart, intelligent products."

He continued by saying that "the role of a designer today is to be a collaboration enabler," and to work at the intersection of "cultural change, identity change and eco-innovation."

The symposium is part of Global Design Forum's Circular Design Series, which was devised to encourage the design community to "affect change, provide insights needed to create sustainable and circular packaging design and result in significant and measurable outcomes for industry-wide impact".

Global Design Forum is London Design Festival's curated thought leadership programme. Its flagship event will take place as part of the London Design Festival in September.

Global Design Forum's symposium on 'The Future of Packaging' took place on 23 May 2023 at The Standard High Line Hotel in New York. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with London Design Festival. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post "Plastic is a design failure" says designer Cyrill Gutsch appeared first on Dezeen.

Artificial intelligence is "not the end of the universe" and instead is building a better understanding between stakeholders in architecture projects, experts said at a discussion hosted by Dezeen and Autodesk.

Moderated by Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft, the talk saw three experts discuss the role of data and AI in the architecture industry, in an event held to coincide with the launch of software company Autodesk's Forma platform, which includes AI tools to streamline design and planning.

Held online and streamed on Dezeen, the panel featured Cannon Design chief information officer Brooke Grammier, Nordic Office of Architecture partner and chief technology officer Knut Ramstad and UN Studio associate design director and senior architect Harlen Miller.

The panellists shared how AI and data-driven tools were currently being used in their own practices, as well as making their predictions for how the evolving technology would impact the industry in the coming years.

"I'm optimistic," said Ramstad, explaining that cloud-based platforms with AI were enabling them to access a lot of data and structure it to help derive insights in real time.

"That empowers us to collaborate in teams with a more holistic approach," he continued. "This is resulting in decision-making processes that are not only more effective but also more enjoyable and precise. And moreover, it simplifies the task of engaging in productive, interactive discussions with the clients and the stakeholders who are involved in the planning process."

Ramstad said that he'd found that his team could often skip presentations and instead use AI tools with an easy-to-understand user interface to visualise outcomes and delve into a design together with a client.

"It's a much tighter connection between all the parties that are involved in a design," Ramstad said. "The traditional boundaries between the client and the architect is maybe a historic thing."

At the same time, he urged people to be critical of the hype cycle around AI, saying it was "not the end of the universe" but a useful tool that could solve some of the industry's problems.

Grammier and Miller agreed that humans would always add value to architecture and could not be replaced by AI.

Miller argued that problem-solving and having a "good bedside manner" would become more important for architects than ever, while Grammier said her hope was that they would soon have "living, breathing design models" that would carry on from a building's inception through to its death.

The talk was introduced by Autodesk executive vice president of architecture, engineering and construction design solutions Amy Bunszel, who spoke about the company's Forma industry cloud, which is tailored specifically to those working on the built environment.

She said the first set of Forma capabilities to launch is targeting the early stage planning and design process for buildings with automations and predictive analytics, many of which are using AI and machine learning.

Ramstad said they were already using the software at the Nordic Office of Architecture in many situations, such as to see how well a project performs within a range of environmental qualities affecting a building site, including wind, noise, sunlight, daylight, urban microclimates or operational energy.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Autodesk. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post "The traditional boundaries between client and architect may be a historic thing" says Knut Ramstad appeared first on Dezeen.

As part of NYCxDesign, Dezeen teamed up with women's body and hair care brand Flamingo to host and livestream a talk exploring how to design products for the wellbeing of women.

Moderated by Dezeen's design editor Jennifer Hahn, the panel featured Cher Russo, creative director at Flamingo, Alda Ly, founder and principal architect at Alda Ly Architecture and Ayse Birsel, co-founder of Birsel + Seck.

Called Women's Wellbeing and the Power of Design, the talk explored how the nuance of the female experience shapes design practices in today's world.

The panelists discussed how they approach designing products, brands and spaces specifically for women.

The event was part of NYCxDesign, an eight-day festival running from May 18 to 25.

Russo joined Flamingo in 2022 as creative director and has since launched several campaigns focussing on reimagining body hair and care to be more responsive to women's actual needs and preferences.

Russo's 15-year began at marketing agencies such as Huge and Wednesday, before moving into in-house creative lead roles at beauty brand Estée Lauder and more recently beauty brand Glossier.

Birsel is an industrial designer and founded design practice Birsel + Seck with her partner Bibi Seck. She has designed products for companies including Amazon, Herman Miller, IKEA and Toyota.

She is the author of a workbook titled Design the Life You Love, which combines self-help with design principles, and delivers lectures to organisations on how to apply design thinking to management processes.

Ly is the founder and principal architect of Alda Ly Architecture (ALA). ALA has designed two branches of Tia, a women's healthcare space in New York.

Other work by ALA in New York includes a doctor's office and clinic with earthy details, as well as a showroom for furniture brand HBF, where this talk is taking place.

The talk took place 18 May 2023 at the HBF showroom in New York City. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with Flamingo. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch a live talk on designing for women's wellbeing during NYCxDesign appeared first on Dezeen.

Designers have to act as "catalysts of change" and look beyond the status quo when specifying materials, said a panel of experts at a talk hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with Bentley during Milan design week.

Titled Rethinking Luxury Materials, the event was the first in a series of panel discussions hosted by Dezeen and Bentley called Lighthouse Talks, which will explore the future of luxury.

Led by Dezeen's editorial director Max Fraser, panelists included head of Bentley design collaborations Chris Cooke, art creative director at Bentley Home Monique Zappalà, designer and founder of Studioilse Ilse Crawford and designer Maurizio Montalti, who is chairman and co-founder of Sqim, Ephea and Mogu.

Held at the Bentley Home atelier in Milan, there talk addressed the static nature of the luxury market and questioned its continued focus on environmentally harmful materials such as rare woods, precious metals, sumptuous leathers and fine silks.

As people become increasingly concerned with the environmental impact of their lifestyles, the panel discussed ways in which luxury brands can align their use of materials with the values of customers.

Crawford commented that "in order to change the future, first of all, you have to design minds".

Elaborating on this point later she continued: "We talk about noble materials, but every material is noble, all materials can be beautiful if they are looked at differently; if they are touched by the hand – it's what we do with them that makes the difference."

The panelists agreed that getting consumers and brands to let go of ideas of perfection and get comfortable with the idea that "things do age" is a key component to redefining luxury.

"If you ask me, particularly from a design perspective, the value lies in imperfection," said Montalti, whose company, Mogu, is focussed on scaling up the use of mycelium-based technology, materials and products.

"The value of every single piece being consistent in terms of technical and experiential properties, but unique in its appearance."

Discussing issues of longevity and durability and the stringent health and safety testing that new materials have to undergo before they are introduced into the design of a car, Cooke spoke of the advantages of Bentley operating as a lifestyle brand.

"We have the ability to work outside of automotive which gives us the creative space to start investigating these amazing materials and steadily bring them back into the car, perhaps we can lead the automotive industry on some of the things that we're creating," he said.

At the talk, audience members were provided with a sample of a new "paper marble" material that was handmade using cellulose fibres sourced from "sustainable production chains" as diverse as jeans, chocolate and wine.

Produced by a company called Paper Factor, the solid surface material has a stone-like appearance but a soft paper-like feel. Bentley used the material to create a table for its Bentley Home collection and said it will be using the material more widely going forward.

The discussion also touched upon the importance of understanding a material's complete lifecycle in order to deduce whether it is truly sustainable. Panellists cited the harmful chemicals that are used in the tanning process of "natural" materials like leather and the complexities of recycling plant-based plastics.

Montalti described how we need to go "beyond circular" and even "beyond regenerative" towards a "metabolic" design system where a material completely transforms itself during its lifecycle so that it can be fed back into the system as nutrients to allow for regeneration.

"It is a shared responsibility," he explained. "And that's where I think designers play a pivotal role as catalysts of change, we are able to show exactly how to do things better."

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with Bentley. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post "In order to change the future, first of all you have to design minds," says Ilse Crawford appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with The Mills Fabrica to livestream a series of talks presenting future-facing climate solutions using crafts during London Craft Week. You can watch the stream back above.

Called Planet-Saving Innovations, the one-day event featured a programme of keynotes, panels and talks where industry leaders explored the role of crafts and design in mitigating the effects of climate change.

The event featured presentations from leaders in sustainable fashion, including Manel Torres, who invented the technology behind the viral spray-on Coperni dress modelled by Bella Hadid at Paris Fashion Week in 2022.

Other speakers included sustainable business specialist Hannah Carey from Farfetch; Lauren Bartley, sustainability director at Ganni; and Louisa Tholstrup from the Earthshot Prize, an annual awards programme founded by David Attenborough and Prince William.

The event was hosted by The Mills Fabrica, an innovation platform created to support tech and lifestyle companies in adopting more sustainable approaches.

The discussion took place at The Mills Fabrica's London concept store named Fabrica X, which features a selection of innovative fashion tech products and sustainable designs.

Fabrica X is also hosting an exhibition on biomaterials highlighting heritage techniques as well as new forms of craftsmanship created by scientists and biodesigners.

A series of workshops are also taking place in the venue, including screen-printing sessions using bacterial dyeing technology, as well as bio-embellishment and embroidery workshops creating sequins from seaweed.

The event took place as part of London Craft Week, which brings together creatives in a citywide programme of talks, exhibitions, product launches and immersive experiences celebrating craft.

London Craft Week takes place from 8–14 May 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with The Mills Fabrica. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch a series of talks exploring "planet-saving" solutions using crafts appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with DesignMarch to livestream a day of talks focused on the importance of design in addressing global challenges. Watch the last two sessions back here.

DesignTalks was a programme of live talks taking place at the Henning Larsen Architects-designed Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland. The talks were moderated by Dezeen's editor Tom Ravenscroft.

The conference was split into four themed sessions, which were livestreamed Dezeen in two parts. The second part was streamed here. The first part was streamed earlier in the day – you can watch it at this link.

The third session featured a panel with landscape architect and co-founder of LOLA Architects Peter Veenstra, artistic director and founder of design studio ÞYKJÓ Sigríður Sunna Reynisdóttir, partner at design studio Design Group Italia Sigurður Þorsteinsson, and founder of art project Graphic Rewilding Lee Baker.

This panel discussed how design can be used to address the social challenges highlighted during the pandemic. Speakers explored questions such as how to design for dignity, justice, participation and inclusion, and how we can create more healing environments.

In the last session of the conference, bio-designer and Faber Futures founder Natsai Audrey Chieza and senior curator of architecture and design at The Museum of Modern Art Paola Antonelli wrapped up the themes discussed in previous sessions by exploring what they think the future of design holds.

The pair also discussed how designers can use the advances in science and technology in recent years, looking at rapidly advancing fields such as bio-design.

You can find out more about the full lineup of talks here.

DesignMarch took place from 3-7 May 2023 in Reykjavík, Iceland. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with DesignMarch. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch the second part of DesignTalks 2023 focusing on design's response to social challenges appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with DesignMarch to livestream a day of talks focused on the importance of design in addressing global challenges. You can watch the first part of the conference here.

DesignTalks was a programme of live talks that took place at the Henning Larsen Architects-designed Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland. The talks were moderated by Dezeen's editor Tom Ravenscroft.

The conference was split into four themed sessions, which were live-streamed on Dezeen in two parts. You can watch the first part above. The second part, focussing on design's response to social challenges and the future of the industry, was streamed later in the day - you can watch it at this link.

The first session explored the resilience of creativity, focusing on how designers have been able to work during extreme global challenges, as well as on how design can be used to create courage and hope.

The panel featured partner and global design director of design company IDEO Michael Hendrix, media artist Refik Anadol, architect and director Liam Young, and co-founder and artistic director of Ukrainian advertising agency Banda Pavel Vrzheshch.

The second session followed the previous panel by asking how designers can work to create more sustainable and innovative ways of working.

The panel featured CEO of climate solution company Transition Labs Kjartan Örn Ólafsson, designer and founder of material brand Vitrolabs Ingvar Helgason, CEO and owner of clothing brand 66°North Bjarney Harðardóttir, and designer, artist and researcher Thomas Pausz.

You can find out more about the full lineup of talks here.

DesignMarch took place from 3-7 May 2023 in Reykjavík, Iceland. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with DesignMarch. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch the first part of DesignTalks 2023 focusing on resilient design and sustainability appeared first on Dezeen.

Architects should work creatively with planning constraints rather than fighting them in order to preserve the character of historic cities, according to panellists exploring the legacy of Christopher Wren at a talk filmed by Dezeen for World Monuments Fund.

The talk brought together a panel of architects who have designed buildings in the City of London to address the difficulties in developing historic cities, while preserving their identity and history.

"In many places, there are incredible community institutions that have not actually been preserved and are being erased by development," said South African architect Sumayya Vally during the talk.

"If we aren't able to work with the energy of a place and think about how we evolve that alongside our development, then we're missing out on something."

Called Wren Conversations: Building Cities, the talk was the second in a series of conversations exploring the life and legacy of the British architect to mark 300 years since his death.

The panellists explored the ways in which Wren introduced a new architectural style following the Great Fire of London in 1666. Three days after the fire, Wren presented King Charles II with his plan of rebuilding the city, which never came to fruition.

Wren ultimately built 51 churches on existing mediaeval foundations, including the iconic St Paul's Cathedral.

"He had to find a way of rebuilding within London, but using the mediaeval foundations – or in other words, adjusting to what was already there," said chairman of the Millennium Bridge Trust Sir David Bell, who hosted the talk.

"In a way, that has been the history of London all the way through."

The talk, which took place at St Stephen Walbrook Church on 22 March and was filmed by Dezeen, also discussed obstacles they have faced with planning and how various restrictions have impacted the wider planning of London, which, while limiting, have not necessarily been bad for the city.

"Wren's kind of rebuilding on the mediaeval street pattern is actually the essence of London," said Stirling Prize-winning architect Amanda Levete. "It's made London able to adapt and evolve in a way that Paris hasn't."

"I believe very strongly that the protective views of St Paul's are extremely important and need to be preserved. And it's up to us as architects to cleverly work around those rather than to challenge them," she continued.

Senior partner at Foster + Partners Kate Murphy, who had a major role in designing the Stirling Prize-winning European headquarters of Bloomberg, explained the decisions behind the scale and massing of the building were informed by the concept of "being a good neighbour".

"It actually already had planning consent for a much taller building with a much bigger, higher centre," Murphy explained. "But during the course of the project, the viewing corridors for St Paul's Cathedral changed."

"We lost the area, but I think we all felt it was the right thing to do. So I think that thing of being a good neighbour is the best way of approaching planning and really trying to connect with the community and the infrastructure around you," she continued.

The venue for the talk, Wren's St Stephen Walbrook Church, is now used for a host of programmes and groups – including Samaritans, choral music evenings and Rush Hour Jazz – serving as a community centre for diverse groups.

Reflecting on the venue, the panellists were asked about the role of architecture in building bridges between people and communities.

"One of the most underestimated skills of an architect is to try to do buildings as the backdrop to city life," said co-founder of Bennetts Associates Rab Bennetts.

"Not every building has to be prominent or to shout. A lot of buildings need to recede into the background in my view."

Wren Conversations: Building Cities took place on 22 March 2023 at St Stephen Walbrook Church.

The final talk in the series, titled Wren’s International Influence and Contemporary Relevance, will take place at 6pm on Thursday 27 April in St. Mary Aldermary, London. Tickets are available now.

See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with World Monuments Fund. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here. 

The post "Wren's rebuilding on the medieval street pattern is the essence of London" say architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen is teaming up with Chinese studio MAD to host a live talk about the future of Beijing with the firm's founder Ma Yansong, architect Peter Cook and the founders of Drawing Architecture Studio.

The talk coincided with the end of Blueprint Beijing, an exhibition curated by Ma and executed by MAD.

Blueprint Beijing formed the architecture component of the Beijing Biennale, and invited 20 architects and artists from around the world to present work themed around the future of Beijing.

Cook and Drawing Architecture Studio were amongst the architects invited to participate, and will present their contributions to the exhibition during the talk.

The conversation was moderated by Dezeen's editor-at-large Amy Frearson, and explored the past, present and future of Beijing's architecture.

Ma founded MAD in 2006 and now leads the studio alongside his partners Dang Qun and Yosuke Hayano.

The firm's projects encompass urban planning, large complexes, municipal buildings, museums, theatres, concert halls, and housing.

Amongst MAD's completed projects are an undulating concrete library in China, a stadium embedded in the ground and covered in grass roofs also in China, and a Passivhaus housing block surrounded by white curved balconies in Paris.

The firm's Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is currently under construction in Los Angeles, and it recently unveiled plans for a feather-like terminal for Changchun airport in China.

British architect Cook currently practices alongside Erlend Blakstad Haffner at Cook Haffner Architecture Platform, the firm that the pair co-founded.

Cook's contribution to Blueprint Beijing comprises an in-depth exploration of two of his drawings, titled Filter City and City as a Room.

Cook is best known for co-founding the avant-garde architecture group Archigram alongside Warren Chalk, Dennis Crompton, David Greene, Ron Herron and Michael Webb in the 1960s.

The group put forward a series of radical proposals including a miniature capsule home and a city-airship hybrid.

Archigram won the Royal Gold Medal in 2002 – despite never having built a building together – in recognition of the influence their conceptual work has had on generations of architects.

Li Han and Hu Yan founded Beijing-based practice Drawing Architecture Studio in 2013. The conceptual practice explores the modern Chinese city through intricate architectural drawings that map, distort and reflect on existing spaces.

The studio's works have been exhibited at events including the 4th Chicago Architecture Biennial, the Chinese and Japanese pavilions at the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale, and the 7th Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture, amongst others.

Works by Drawing Architecture have been acquired by museums around the world including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and The Art Institute of Chicago.

Partnership content

This talk was produced by Dezeen for MAD as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Watch a live talk with Ma Yansong, Peter Cook and Drawing Architecture Studio appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with PlasticFree to present its interdisciplinary forum of talks focussing on the climate crisis in New York City. Watch the talks here.

Called Our Incredible Future Now, the talk took place at Parsons School of Design in New York City on 2 February 2023 and was hosted by Sian Sutherland, co-founder of PlasticFree and A Plastic Planet.

The event brought together creative professionals across various disciplines to explore why the issue of climate change continues to be discussed at length instead of being addressed practically with the many proposed solutions that currently exist.

Featured speakers included chief innovation officer of Pangaia Amanda Parkes, Slow Factory founder Celine Semaan, and Birsel + Seck co-founder Ayse Birsel, among other designers and climate specialists.

The event followed the launch of the PlasticFree database, an online platform created in a bid to help architects and designers source plastic-free materials for their projects and avoid misinformation around more sustainable alternatives.

The subscription-based service provides detailed reports on more than 100 plastic alternatives that have been vetted by scientific advisors, highlighting their properties, production and sourcing in order to offer reliable and trustworthy information.

The platform's advisory council comprises scientists, business leaders and industry figureheads including Stirling Prize-winner David Chipperfield, designer Tom Dixon and curator Aric Chen.

Partnership content

This competition is a partnership between Dezeen and PlasticFree. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here. 

The post Watch PlasticFree's inaugural forum of talks on the climate crisis appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with luxury kitchen appliances brand Gaggenau to present a series of Architecture Project Talks on spectacular houses around the world. We've rounded up the three lectures for you to watch here.

The series of webinars, in which leading architects deliver in-depth lectures about one of their key buildings, featured eye-catching houses in unique locations around the world, spanning Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia.

Projects featured included a subterranean house embedded in a rocky hillside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea by Mold Architects, a brutalist home nestled within rice fields in Bali, Indonesia, by Daniel Mitchell and Patisandhika, and a minimal beach house only accessible by boat in Lagos, Nigeria, by CmDesign Atelier.

The recorded talks, which have now ended but can be watched on-demand for free, count towards continuing professional development (CPD) points for UK architects.

Register to watch all three talks on-demand below:

NCaved by Mold Architects

The first instalment of Dezeen and Gaggenau's Architecture Project Talks focussed on NCaved by Mold Architects, a wedge-shaped house partially submerged into a rocky hillside on the Greek island of Serifos.

Architect Iliana Kerestetzi, founder of the Athens-based studio, delivered a lecture about the subterranean project, which is designed to frame the surrounding vistas of the ocean, as well as provide shelter from strong northerly winds.

Watch free on-demand ›

A Brutalist Tropical Home in Bali by Patisandhika and Dan Mitchell

The second instalment featured Space Available founder Daniel Mitchell and Indonesian architect Patisandhika Sidarta discussing A Brutalist Tropical Home in Bali, the concrete house that the pair designed for Mitchell and his family.

The 512-square-metre house, which is located in a small valley nestled among rice fields on the Indonesian island of Bali, is characterised by exposed concrete and wooden detailing.

The architects discussed the challenges presented by the island's hot climate and the solutions designed in response to it.

Watch free on-demand ›

Coral Pavilion by CmDesign Atelier

The third instalment saw Nigerian architect Tosin Oshinowo deliver a lecture on her studio CmDesign Atelier's minimalist beach house in Lagos, Nigeria.

Called Coral Pavilion, the house is intended for the client's family and friends for day trips, featuring a swimming pool and rooftop terrace for sunbathing alongside the sea to escape the "frenetic energy" of Lagos.

Oshinowo discussed the building's materiality and structure along with the challenges and merits of designing for a remote location.

Watch free on-demand ›

Dezeen x Gaggenau Architecture Project Talks

This series of Architecture Project Talks is produced by Dezeen in collaboration with luxury kitchen appliance brand Gaggenau.

Gaggenau works with architects and designers to create professional-grade culinary appliances for the home, which are tailored to design specifications.

Sign up to Gaggenau's mailing list via the webinar registration pages to hear more. Read more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Watch our online lecture series on spectacular houses around the world appeared first on Dezeen.

In this talk filmed by Dezeen at V&A Dundee for The Dalmore, Japanese architect Kengo Kuma explains how creating a whisky with the Scottish distillery led him to find an affinity between architecture and whisky.

During the talk, which was moderated by Yoko Choy, China editor for Wallpaper*, Kuma described the similarities between the two professions.

"Whisky is very much related with nature itself," said the architect. "I believe architecture is the same. And through this collaboration, I learned many things about whisky. It's a very exciting process."

Kuma appeared on the panel alongside architect Maurizio Mucciola, with whom he designed V&A Dundee, and whisky makers Richard Paterson and Gregg Glass.

The event marked the launch of a partnership between V&A Dundee and The Dalmore called The Luminary Series, which pairs notable architects with whisky makers to produce limited editions housed in specially designed bottles. Kuma and Mucciola are the first participants in the series.

Kuma worked with Paterson to develop a rare edition of The Dalmore's 48-year-old single malt whisky limited to a run of only three bottles, each housed in a unique wood and steel sculpture designed by the Japanese architect.

One bottle is currently up for auction at Sotheby's, while the other two have gone to the V&A Dundee's collection and The Dalmore's archives.

Mucciola and Glass teamed up to create a more accessible collectible edition of The Dalmore's 15-year-old single malt, of which 15,000 are available.

During the talk, the panel discussed how the practices of architecture and whisky distilling complement one another, as well as the importance of cross-cultural collaborations.

Paterson highlighted the significance of wood in both professions, emphasising its centrality to whisky production.

"When we talk about wood in the whisky industry, it accounts for something like 80 per cent of what is going to give you the style, the consistency, but more importantly, that extra level of luxury," he said.

The barrels used to create the two whiskies combined both Japanese and Scottish oak to create a flavour that represented the cultural backgrounds of the collaborators.

"Wood is obviously something that is is very important for Kuma San's architecture," said Mucciola, who worked at Kengo Kuma and Associates before going on to set up PiM.studio Architects in London.

"Wood is also obviously very important for whisky making, the wood and the composition of the casks," he continued. "It's what makes the the taste of the whisky, makes it special. So we wanted to create something very special, which reflects this philosophy."

During the talk, the panel also emphasised how the collaboration represented a continuation of a tradition of cultural exchange between Japan and Scotland.

"Through the experience of designing V&A Dundee I learned the importance of exchange," said Kuma.

"Some exchange between different cultures gives me inspiration for the next project," he continued. "It's a kind of exchange – it's a collaboration with The Dalmore, but it's an exchange."

Kuma cited Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, whose Japanese-influenced oak tea room has been reconstructed within V&A Dundee.

"Scotland and Japan have a history of exchange," he said. "Charles Rennie Mackintosh is a good example of this exchange. He didn't go to Japan, but he learned many things from Japan."

Mucciola went on to describe how cross-cultural experiences can enrich a designer's practice.

"[Exchange] makes us richer and makes our way of thinking, our approach to design and in general to life, much more complex and fascinating and interesting and opens our view to the sort of unexpected solutions which we can try to translate into our designs," he said.

The Dalmore is a Scottish whiskey distillery based in Alness. It was established in 1839.

V&A Dundee, Scotland's first dedicated design museum, opened on the waterfront of the River Tay in 2018. Dezeen filmed an exclusive video interview with Kuma to mark its opening. The museum has hosted a number of exhibitions and installations, including a colourful maze designed by Yinka Ilori.

Partnership content

This talk was filmed by Dezeen for The Dalmore as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen's partnership content here.

The post Kengo Kuma's whisky for The Dalmore is "a kind of cultural exchange" appeared first on Dezeen.

As part of Graphisoft's Building Together 2022 digital conference, Dezeen is teaming up with the design software company to host a live talk exploring digitalisation in architecture. Watch the broadcast here.

Moderated by Dezeen's chief content officer Benedict Hobson, the talk hears from three architects who work with digital tools in different ways.

Cynthia Nkosi, candidate architectural draughtsperson at Earthworld Architects, appears on the panel alongside KURV Architecture principal Alex Loyer Hughes. Graphisoft is represented by its client success director for North America, architect Kyla Kuhnlein.

The talk explores trends and future directions in building modelling information, the different ways in which architecture is being transformed by digital tools, and how they can be used to enhance collaboration.

The event is part of Graphisoft's Building Together conference, a three-day digital event exploring the trends and best practices shaping architecture, engineering and construction. Click here to watch the other talks in the programme.

Hughes is the founder and principal of New York firm KURV Architecture, which was launched in 2017 by Hughes and his founding partner Karim Rashid.

Hughes has taught at Columbia University and the Pratt Institute and is a student mentor at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University.

Nkosi acts as candidate architectural draughtsperson at Earthworld Architects, a South African practice with offices in Cape Town and Pretoria.

She has 15 years of experience working with Graphisoft's Archicad software and uses it to realise Earthworld Architects' projects.

Kuhnlein has worked across a number of roles at Graphisoft since joining the company eight years ago, and currently acts as its client success director for North America.

Prior to joining Graphisoft she was a practicing architect, primarily focussing on educational buildings.

Partnership content

This talk was produced by Dezeen for Graphisoft as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Watch a live talk on digitalisation in architecture with Graphisoft appeared first on Dezeen.

Furniture designers are in high demand, said British design duo Barber Osgerby at a talk hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with Danish design company Fredericia during London Design Festival.

"One thing that we've noticed recently is that there is a scarcity of industrial and furniture designers," said designer Jay Osgerby, co-founder of Barber Osgerby.

He noted that students who traditionally would have studied furniture design are now more likely to go into digital industries, such as video game design.

"We've noticed over the years, we used to have so many CVs through the door, and they've almost completely stopped now," added Barber Osgerby's other founder, designer Edward Barber.

"We feel it's important now more than ever to actually study those things and be the next generation," emphasised Osgerby.

The discussion took place at Fredericia's London showroom on 21 September and was moderated by Dezeen's deputy editor Cajsa Carlson. The panel was made up of Barber Osgerby and Rasmus Graversen, head of design at Fredericia.

The event celebrated the launch of Fredericia and Barber Osgerby's Plan collection, a series of chairs and tables designed for working and living.

Speaking on the process of collaborating with Fredericia, Barber discussed how he and Osgerby had looked toward the brand's design heritage when creating the pieces.

"Whenever we work for a new company, we look at the history of the company, we look at the products that they've made over the years," he said.

Barber Osgerby referenced historic Fredericia design

Barber noted that Fredericia's iconic J39 chair, created by Danish designer Børge Mogensen, was a particular point of inspiration during the creative process.

"I have to say I've had the J39 chair for years and years," Barber said. "What I've always loved about it is that it has this very straight architecture to it."

"There's no sort of curves or leaning legs," he added. "And so I think it'd be fair to say, Jay and I borrowed from that architecture for this chair."

"There's a commonality there, but a transference of materials, from oak to steel, and stainless steel," added Osgerby.

The Plan chair is made up of a steel base, with options for a plywood or upholstered seat. The chair partners with the Plan table, a simple four-legged table featuring an oak tabletop and brushed steel frame.

"When I came into the showroom today, I was so happy because it felt like [the collection's] always been here – but at the same time that it's completely new," said Graversen. "I think there's this mutual respect for the end product".

Sustainability needs to be accessible and easy to take part in

The speakers also discussed the importance of incorporating a realistic approach to the product's lifespan when designing sustainable pieces. Barber discussed how designers need to make it easy for users to take part in circular processes.

"It's all very well to have it disassembled by yourselves, but that's never going to happen, they'll chuck it somewhere," he said.

"So it has to be easy for someone who doesn't know the chair to take the pieces apart and recycle it."

"We would like to make products that we can send on their own journey," added Graversen.  "Something that will have a very long lifespan".

"We introduced some new things like upholstered elements, and things can happen to upholstery which is not the same as what you can do with wood," he added.

"So we needed to look into a more circular way of doing the components. You can have it refreshed, or you can purchase a new substitute, so it's prepared for [a] circular [life]."

"There's a difference between what [Fredericia] has done and what most manufacturers did," noted Osgerby. "[With this collection], should something break or get damaged, you can just order that part, it's really unusual."

Fredericia is a Danish furniture brand founded in 1911. The company has produced work by iconic Danish designers such as Mogensen and Nanna Ditzel, as well as the work of contemporary designers such as Jasper Morrison.

Partnership content

This talk was filmed by Dezeen for Fredericia as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen's partnership content here.

The post Design world needs more graduate designers says Barber Osgerby in talk with Fredericia appeared first on Dezeen.

As part of London Design Festival, Dezeen teamed up with Istituto Marangoni to host a talk with the school's art director Giulio Cappellini on sustainability and its place in design education.

Chaired by Dezeen's assistant editor for design and environment Jennifer Hahn, the talk explored the importance of teaching sustainability on design courses and how it can be taught effectively.

The talk coincided with the inaugural Design Graduates Show at fashion and design school Istituto Marangoni London, which exhibits work by the first graduates from the school’s new design programmes.

Giulio Cappellini is the creative director of iconic Italian furniture brand Cappellini, which was founded by his father in 1946.

He is known for looking beyond Italy for emerging talent to design for the brand, and in doing so leading a wave of modernisation in the once-insular Italian design industry.

Cappellini helped to launch the careers of designers like Tom Dixon, Jasper Morrison, Marcel Wanders, the Bouroullec brothers and Barber & Osgerby, among others.

He acts as art director for a number of brands and institutions including Istituto Marangoni, as well as Italian bathrooms brand Ceramica Flaminia, lift manufacturer IGV Lift, and lamp specialist Icone Luce.

Cappellini teaches as a visiting professor in several design and architecture schools around the world and has organised exhibitions and events globally.

The event was the first in a series of talks held at Istituto Marangoni during London Design Festival.

Over the course of the weekend, the school will host conversations with jewellery designer Lara Bohinc on the theme of emotional design, architect Michael Pawlyn on biomimicry and regenerative design, designer Sarah Angold on meaningful design, and furniture procurement and manufacturing consultancy Matter of Stuff on materiality.

While the talk with Cappellini was an invite-only event, the weekend talks are free and open for anyone to attend. Click here to RSVP.

Partnership content

This talk was produced by Dezeen for Istituto Marangoni as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Watch a talk with Giulio Cappellini on sustainability in design education appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with MAD Architects on a live talk exploring social housing in different regions around the world.

Moderated by Dezeen's editor Tom Ravenscroft, the talk heard from three architecture studios that have designed social housing schemes – MAD, Peter Barber Architects and Body-Lawson Associates.

The panel comprised principal partner at MAD Yosuke Hayano, director at Peter Barber Architects Alice Brownfield and principal of Body-Lawson Associates Victor Body-Lawson, who have designed social housing projects in China, the UK and US respectively.

The talk explored housing projects designed by each studio and discussed the cultural and social contexts around social housing in the regions that the architects work in.

The panel also discussed how building regulations differ region to region, the needs of residents, what they believe is necessary for a successful low-cost housing scheme and what the architects' role is in the creation of low-cost housing.

Brownfield is a director at Peter Barber Architects and a chair of Part W, an architecture collective campaigning for gender equity in the built environment and a trustee for Action on Empty Homes.

Peter Barber Architects is renowned for a number of its social housing projects including the McGrath Road housing project, which won RIBA's Neave Brown Award for Housing in 2021.

Through her work Brownfield advocates for high density, low to medium rise housing and believes that architecture can create social action. She was awarded the MJ Long Prize for Excellence in Practice in 2021 for her work and advocacy in the built environment.

Body-Lawson is an architect, educator and artist based in New York. He founded his studio in 1993 and has designed several housing projects for low-income areas in the boroughs of New York.

Projects include the Erbograph Apartments, a senior housing project that was the first LEED Silver building in Harlem, as well as Home Street Residences, an affordable housing complex in the Bronx.

In 2021, Body-Lawson received a Leadership in Housing Award from the American Institute of Architects.

Hayano is a principal partner at MAD Architects overseeing the design of its projects, including its first social housing project in China the Baiziwan development.

Located in Beijing, the Baiziwan development is located near the Central Business District in east Beijing and is divided by roads into six areas that contain multiple apartment blocks.

The development consists of 12 residential blocks containing 4,000 apartments, built around green spaces and connected by a raised walkway. Designed as a floating park, the walkway connects all the residential areas by bridging over roads.

Ma Yansong founded MAD Architects in 2004. Over 20 of the studio's key projects were highlighted in MAD Rhapsody, a book covering 17 years of its work.

Recent projects by the studio includes a housing block in Paris designed to Passivhaus standards and a cloud-like white museum on the coast of Haikou.

The talk was the second in a series of talks about social housing hosted together with MAD Architects. The first talk in the series was a live conversation between Yansong and Dezeen's late founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs about the studio's first social housing project in China.

Partnership content

This talk was produced by Dezeen for MAD Architects as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Dezeen is on WeChat!

Click here to read the Chinese version of this article on Dezeen's official WeChat account, where we publish daily architecture and design news and projects in Simplified Chinese.

The post Watch our talk with MAD Architects about social housing around the world appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with bathroom brand Kohler to host a live panel discussion exploring luxury, wellbeing and digital innovation.

The talk was moderated by Dezeen's chief content officer Ben Hobson and discussed how digital technology can be used to enhance luxury hospitality projects and how it can offer users greater personalisation in their environments.

Speakers appearing on the panel included Kristina Zanic, CEO of Kristina Zanic Consultants, Paul Wiste, vice president of design and construction at Four Seasons Hotels and Lun Cheak Tan, vice president of industrial design at Kohler.

The panel looked at how digital innovation is advancing the future of the hospitality industry, as well as how conceptions of luxury and wellbeing have changed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Zanic is an interior designer and founder of Dubai-based design firm Kristina Zanic Consultants. She specialises in hospitality projects, and has worked with clients such Accor, Marriott, and Hilton.

In 2021 Zanic was named Leader of the Year at the Index Dubai awards. She currently is involved in mentoring students in the Middle East, India and Australia.

Wiste is vice president of design and construction at Four Seasons, and oversees all of the brand's design and construction projects in the Asia Pacific region. He is also involved in researching and exploring future trends and movements in hospitality design.

He has previously held design roles at Jumeriah Hotels and Resorts and Intercontinental Hotels, and until earlier this year was a principal at hospitality  consultancy Design Assembly.

Tan joined Kohler in 2013 as design director for its Kitchen & Bath Asia Pacific division, before moving to his current role of vice president of industrial design. Tan is responsible for creating strategies for product innovation and design.

In addition, Tan co-founded design collective Little Thoughts Group to create greater awareness of design and its importance in everyday life and culture.

Partnership content

This talk was produced by Dezeen for Kohler as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Watch a live talk on luxury and digital innovation with Kohler appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with Swedish rug brand Kasthall to host a live panel discussion exploring craft and heritage during Milan design week 2022.

Titled Crafting the Future – Innovation and Icons, the talk celebrated the launch of Kasthall's tufted rug Quilt, designed by Ellinor Eliasson and launched at Milan Design Week 2022.

Panellists discussed the history of the brand, and how to develop new designs and techniques without losing sight of older craft traditions.

Hosted by Dezeen's chief content officer Ben Hobson, the panel was made up of Kasthall's head of design Lena Jiseborn, Kasthall's head of business and project development Peter Eriksson, designer Eliasson and Claesson Koivisto Rune architect Ola Rune.

The panel took place in Kasthall's Milan showroom in front of a live audience.

During the talk, the speakers discussed the role that craftsmanship and heritage played in their design practices.

Eliasson, the designer of Quilt, described how she referenced traditional textile crafts when creating the rug.

"The inspiration comes from woven textiles where the warp and weft were mixed, but also Japanese Boro textiles, where patchwork fabrics are sewn together to create new patterns, to save the old clothes and textiles," she said.

"I've always been interested in working with a company that has its own production. I think that is something that is a very good strength, where you can be very creative within some limits" she added.

"I wanted to create a tufted rug that pushes what we do today at Kasthall."

Eliasson is a Swedish textile designer. She joined Kasthall's product and design department in 2015, creating works such as the Harvest and Feather rug for the brand.

Also joining the panel was Claesson Koivisto Rune co-founder Rune.

Similarly inspired by Japanese crafts, Rune described a project for the K5 Hotel in Tokyo, where he collaborated with Kasthall to re-invent the traditional Japanese hand-crafted tatami mat.

"The Japanese were very surprised that we [took] their classic, and we made it into our classic," he said.

"Sometimes you have to play a little bit with what you have around you."

The panellists also discussed the enduring legacy of notable designers such as Gunilla Lagerhem Ullberg.

"In the '50s, we focused more on design, to contact those famous Swedish textile designers from the time, such as Astrid Sampe and Ingrid Dessau" Eriksson said.

"Those ladies were the first ones who really brought us out in the world seriously."

Eriksson, Kasthall's head of business and project development, first joined the company in 1995 as a hand tufter. He worked closely with the head of design Ullberg on notable projects such as the Moss and Fogg rugs.

Recalling their time working together, Eriksson described how Ullberg's experimental approach pushed Kasthall in a new, more adventurous direction when designing the Moss rug.

"We got the yarn specification from Gunilla, and we placed them in the machine while she was still in Stockholm. We were tearing our hair out  because we didn't get it to work at all." Eriksson said.

"We just expected her to throw it away - and she said hallelujah! This is the best thing I've ever seen, exactly the way I want it."

"The linen threads were hanging out randomly, whereas our goal was always to have as even a surface as possible. So this became one of Kasthall's greatest successes."

"She [always] had an idea, something wild and crazy," added Jisenborn.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Kasthall as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post "I wanted to create a tufted rug that pushes what Kasthall does" says designer Ellinor Eliasson appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen has teamed up with MAD Architects for a series of talks on social housing. In the first talk, MAD founder Ma Yansong discusses the studio's Baiziwan project in Beijing.

Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs spoke to Yansong about the studio's first-ever social housing project, which is in China.

Yansong spoke about the Baiziwan project in detail before speaking to Fairs about social housing in China and beyond.

The project was spurred on by the studio's previous project, a 13-storey residential building in Paris, called UNIC.

Ma hopes that Baiziwan will help increase diversity in the design of China's residential housing.

The standard housing typology in China often resembled the same mega-size closed residential complexes, first developed in the 1950s and pushed by the commercialisation of the housing movement in the 1990s.

"The biggest problem of China's housing is homogenisation," said Ma. "Residential complexes all over China look the same, as well as the apartment configurations."

"A little change will be seen as a huge challenge to the status quo," he added. "I hope Baiziwan will be our effort to a more diverse residential housing scene in China."

The development is located near the Central Business District in east Beijing and is divided by roads into six areas that contain multiple apartment blocks.

The development consists of 12 residential blocks containing 4,000 apartments, built around green spaces and connected by a raised walkway. Designed as a floating park, the walkway connects all the residential areas by bridging over roads.

Yansong founded MAD Architects in 2004. Over 20 of the studio's key projects were highlighted in MAD Rhapsody, a book covering 17 years of its work.

Recent projects by the studio includes a cloud-like white museum on the coast of Haikou in China and a Beverly Hills residential block with a large green wall.

Partnership content

This talk was produced by Dezeen for MAD Architects as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Dezeen is on WeChat!

Click here to read the Chinese version of this article on Dezeen's official WeChat account, where we publish daily architecture and design news and projects in Simplified Chinese.

The post Watch a live talk with MAD Architects about its first social housing project in China appeared first on Dezeen.

Promotion: as part of the DLD22 programme during the DLD Conference last month, Therme Art hosted one of its Wellbeing Culture Forum panels, which explored the future of wellbeing.

The discussion was titled The Future of Wellbeing and invited panelists to discuss what we can learn from ancient indigenous knowledge from around the world to "reinstate substantive and egalitarian wellbeing in our future cities".

It saw four experts working across a range of industries, including science, architecture and fashion assembled to discuss the interconnectedness between the wellbeing of people and planet.

The talk was chaired by Therme Group Vice President Mikolaj Sekutowicz, who spoke about how the wellness sector is growing – nearly double the pace of the global economy – and invited the speakers to describe how their individual industries and areas of application are working to help reinstate substantive and egalitarian wellbeing in our future cities.

Using the apartheid in her home city of Johannesburg as an example, Sumayya Vally, founder and principal architect of Counterspace, explained how the wellbeing of individuals is intrinsically linked to our environment and can have effects that last across generations.

Vally proposed that there should be a "deeper engagement with the land" in order to deal with the toxic consequences of our past. In the studio's design for the 2021 Serpentine Pavilion, places of meeting, organising and belonging that are particularly relevant to migrant communities in London were referenced through abstracted architectural elements taken from across the city.

Fragments of the pavilion were installed in neighbourhoods across the city, to support and facilitate gatherings and impromptu interactions, honouring the history of places that have held communities over time.

"I think when we think about an architectural project it's really important to think beyond the scope of the finite building and how we work to engage the community in many different forms," said Vally.

Social entrepreneur Jeanne de Kroon, whose fashion label facilitates links between communities and businesses worldwide, stressed the importance of considering a garment's wider impact on the planet.

"For me, wellbeing is really coming back to this place where we can use creativity to spark us with an image of what a well-nourished, purposeful and beautiful creation can mean, that doesn't only thrive yourself but thrives in the community and the land that produces it," she said.

Nina Gualinga, environmentalist and indigenous rights defender, explained how society can learn from the indigenous people around the world, who have for centuries understood that their wellbeing is directly connected with the wellbeing of the earth.

"The words progress and development have a different representation here than they do in my community and in many indigenous communities around the world," she explained. "How do we define progress and wellbeing? Fertile soil, fresh water, clean air, solidarity of the community and our family and happiness. If the planet is healthy, so are we."

Neuroscientist and Business Professor Moran Cerf, who employs neuroscience methods in his research of human psychology, explained how scientists are working to measure the things that we intuitively know can improve our wellbeing, such as spending time in nature or indoor spaces with plenty of natural light and translate that into tangible data.

"Suddenly we have answers, we don't have to speculate on how to build cities, we can test it and get answers as to what the right sort of architecture for wellbeing is," said Moran Cerf. "We have intuition but we can also learn that sleeping a certain amount of hours will make you happier, and that helping others and having an interaction with the community will make you feel better."

Founded in 2005, DLD (Digital Life Design) is a conference designed to address the most challenging questions that arise through digital change.

This year's edition brought together nearly 1000 participants and 150 speakers, featuring 90 sessions covering topics such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, web 3.0, the future of health and food, geopolitics and sustainability.

Therme Art is the creative arm of the Therme Group and is commissioning art and architecture to its spa baths and resorts around the world.

Through its Wellbeing Culture Forum programme of talks and panels, which has attracted thousands of viewers worldwide at large-scale events in Miami, London, Berlin, Venice and more, Therme Art aims to spark wellbeing-oriented innovation across all industries.

To learn more about Therme Art visit its website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Therme Art as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Therme Art hosts talk at DLD22 to discuss how the future of wellbeing involves interdisciplinary collaboration appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with Danish furniture manufacturer Carl Hansen & Son to host a live talk during 3 Days of Design coinciding with the launch of a collection of heritage pieces designed by Vilhelm Lauritzen.

Titled the Sound of Design, the talk was moderated by Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs and featured Knud Erik Hansen, CEO of Carl Hansen, as well as Anne Møller Sørensen, partner at Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects.

On the occasion of the centenary of Lauritzen's architecture practice, the two companies have collaborated to bring a collection of furniture designs from Lauritzen's archive to market for the first time ever – the VLA26 Vega chair and the Foyer series.

Along with exploring Lauritzen's life, work and impact on Danish design, the panel discussed the collection, as well as the process and environmental benefits of launching heritage designs compared to original designs.

The talk took place at Carl Hansen & Son's Copenhagen showroom as part of this year's instalment of 3 Days of Design, an annual design festival in which showrooms open their doors to visitors and events and exhibitions take place across the city.

Born in 1894, Lauritzen was one of the most important 20th-century architects to come out of Denmark.

Known as a key figure in the inception of Danish modernism, Lauritzen is behind the designs for the first terminal of Copenhagen Airport, the Vega concert hall in Copenhagen and Radiohuset, the former headquarters of the national Danish broadcaster DR.

Designed by Lauritzen in 1956, the Vega concert hall was originally named Folkets Hus (the People's House) and was intended as a meeting place for the labour movement before its renovation to a music venue in 1996.

To accompany the building Lauritzen designed a series of furniture and fixtures which have previously only been found inside the venue, including the stackable VLA26 Vega chair.

"Vilhelm Lauritzen's architecture and design are part of the Danish cultural heritage and perception of functionalism, and we're honoured to be the first to present his VLA26 Vega Chair to a global audience," Hansen said of the collaboration.

The sofa, armchair and bench in the Foyer series were originally designed by Lauritzen in 1945 to furnish Radiohuset's foyer. Previously the pieces have also only ever been available to use inside the building.

"Together with Carl Hansen & Søn, we have worked to adapt the comfort to the present, while still preserving the original design that makes the series timeless," Sørensen said of the partnership.

Now in its 100th year of practice, Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects has designed numerous projects including a renovation of Copenhagen's historic department store Illum and a series of warehouse-inspired housing blocks for Copenhagen's harbour.

Founded in 1908, Carl Hansen & Son is one of the biggest producers of midcentury Danish furniture in the world.

Since the 1950s, Carl Hansen & Son has produced the work of several giants of Danish design including Hans J Wegner, Arne Jacobsen, Kaare Klint, Bodil Kjær, Børge Morgensen and Poul Kjærholm amongst others. The manufacturer has previously launched heritage collections including a recent collaboration with Ilse Crawford to rerelease a series of chairs by Hans J Wegner in earthy colours. 

In 2020, it released a collection of minimal lighting products designed by Mads Odgård.

3 Days of Design 2022

The Sound of Design is part of 3 Days of Design 2022, which takes place from 15 to 17 June 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for information about other exhibitions, installations and events taking place throughout the week. 

Partnership content

This talk was produced by Dezeen for Carl Hansen & Son as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Watch our talk with Carl Hansen & Son about Vilhelm Lauritzen's impact on Danish design appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with luxury kitchen appliances brand Gaggenau to host and stream a talk about the design world's response to the coronavirus pandemic with Dara Huang and Michel Rojkind during Milan design week 2022.

Moderated by Dezeen's editor-at-large Amy Frearson, the talk explored how design responds to crisis with innovation, how designers can foster resilience in difficult times, and the increased interest in local manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and the design of communal and interior spaces in the past two years.

The panel featured architect and designer Huang, who is founder of Design Haus Liberty, and Rojkind, founder of Mexico-based architecture firm Rojkind Arquitectos.

The talk took place in the conservatory of Milan's historic Villa Necchi Campiglio, where the brand created a 360-square-foot interactive installation called A Statement of Form to showcase its highest-grade appliances.

Huang founded Design Haus Liberty in 2013. The studio has offices in London and Hong Kong, and was awarded three RIBA awards in its first three years as a practice.

She also launched lighting brand DH Liberty Lux, and co-founded Vivahouse, an initiative that turns disused commercial spaces into co-living units.

The daughter of a Taiwanese scientist who emigrated to the USA to work for NASA, Huang has a masters degree in architecture from Harvard University. Before founding Design Haus Liberty she worked at Herzog & de Meuron in Basel and Foster + Partners in London.

Projects by Design Haus Liberty include Villa Mosca Bianca on the shore of Lake Maggiore in Italy, and a cluster of apartments in Shoreditch, London.

Mexican architect Rojkind founded Rojkind Arquitectos in 2002. Born and raised in Mexico, Rojkind studied architecture and urban planning at Universidad Iberoamericana.

He founded Rojkind Arquitectos in 2002. One of the studio's recently completed projects is a concert hall on the Gulf of Mexico, built for the philharmonic orchestra of Boca Del Rio. Other projects include the renovation of Mexico's National Film Archive and Film Institute and the Liverpool Department Store.

The talk was the last in a series of three hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with Gaggenau running 7-9 June, which were all moderated by Frearson.

During the first talk, which took place on Tuesday, designer Søren Rose, BIG's director of interiors Francesca Portesine, and Foster + Partners' head of industrial design Mike Holland discussed sustainability and longevity in design.

Yesterday, Dezeen hosted a talk about designing kitchens that form "the hub of the home", which featured a panel including Dada's director of product development Andrea Molteni and designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg.

A Statement of Form is on show between 7-11 June during Milan design week, daily from 11am to 5pm. To visit, register at www.gaggenau.com. You can watch all the talks live on Dezeen here.

Milan design week 2022

A Statement of Form is part of Milan design week 2022, which takes place from 6 to 12 June 2022. See our Milan design week 2022 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Gaggenau as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Dezeen is on WeChat!

Click here to read the Chinese version of this article on Dezeen's official WeChat account, where we publish daily architecture and design news and projects in Simplified Chinese.

The post Watch a talk on post-pandemic design with Gaggenau at Milan design week appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen hosted a live talk on designing kitchens that form the hub of the home with Yabu Pushelberg and Andrea Molteni, live from Gaggenau's showcase at this year's Milan design week.

Moderated by Dezeen's editor-at-large Amy Frearson, the talk explored the role that the kitchen plays in the contemporary home, innovations in kitchen design, and how designers can foster a positive home culture through creating better kitchens.

The panel featured George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, co-founders of design firm Yabu Pushelberg, and Andrea Molteni, vice president at his family firm Molteni&C and director of product development at its sister kitchens brand Dada.

As part of the talk, Yabu, Pushelberg and Molteni offered an exclusive look at Tivali, a new kitchen design project on which they have collaborated.

The talk took place in the conservatory of Milan's historic Villa Necchi Campiglio, where the brand has created a 360-square-foot interactive installation called A Statement of Form to showcase its highest-grade appliances.

Canadian designers Yabu and Pushelberg founded Yabu Pushelberg as an interior design firm in Toronto 1980 after graduating from the School of Interior Design at Ryerson University, where they studied together.

The studio has since expanded its remit to include architecture, product design, landscape design, lighting design, branding and graphics. The pair established a second office in New York in 2001. Last year, Yabu Pushelberg won the public vote Dezeen Award for Design Studio of the Year.

Molteni is vice president of Molteni&C, a classic Italian design brand founded by his grandparents Angelo and Giuseppina Molteni in 1934.

Molteni&C's range of furniture includes a number of well-known 20th-century pieces designed by Italian architect Gio Ponti. Amongst the brand's more recent product ranges are collaborations with names like Norman Foster, Patricia Urquiola and Jean Nouvel.

The talk was the second in a series of three hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with Gaggenau running 7-9 June, which are all moderated by Frearson.

During the first talk, which took place yesterday, designer Søren Rose, BIG's director of interiors Francesca Portesine, and Foster + Partners' head of industrial design Mike Holland discussed sustainability and longevity in design.

Tomorrow, Design Haus Liberty founder Dara Huang and architect Michel Rojkind of Rojkind Arquitectos will feature in a talk on how their practices have changed over the course of the pandemic.

A Statement of Form is on show between 7-11 June during Milan design week, daily from 11am to 5pm. To visit, register at www.gaggenau.com.

You can watch all the talks live on Dezeen here.

Milan design week 2022

A Statement of Form is part of Milan design week 2022, which takes place from 6 to 12 June 2022. See our Milan design week 2022 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Gaggenau as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Dezeen is on WeChat!

Click here to read the Chinese version of this article on Dezeen's official WeChat account, where we publish daily architecture and design news and projects in Simplified Chinese.

The post Watch a talk on designing better kitchens with Gaggenau at Milan design week appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with luxury kitchen appliances brand Gaggenau to host a talk about sustainability with BIG, Søren Rose and Foster + Partners during Milan design week 2022.

Called Sustainability and Longevity in Design, the talk debated whether products and objects should be designed to outlive their users or designed for disassembly, as well as exploring the changing role of designers and how they can become custodians of a more sustainable future.

Hosted by Dezeen's editor-at-large Amy Frearson, the panel featured director of interiors at architecture studio BIG Francesca Portesine, Danish designer Søren Rose and head of industrial design at British firm Foster + Partners Mike Holland.

The talk took place in the conservatory of Milan's historic Villa Necchi Campiglio, where the brand has created a 360-square-foot interactive installation called A Statement of Form to showcase its highest-grade appliances.

Rose is a designer, entrepreneur and founder of his eponymous design studio. Based in Copenhagen and New York, he has designed products for furniture brands such as Gandía Blasco, De La Espada, Muuto and Menu.

In addition, Rose also runs a joint-venture between his studio and BIG, which specialises in creating sustainable tiny houses designed by renowned architects.

Portesine is director of interiors at Danish architecture firm BIG. Her body of work includes projects that span the retail, residential, commercial, educational and cultural sectors.

Holland heads up the industrial design studio at Foster + Partners, creating furniture, lighting, transportation and building products that are optimised for their performance and offer maximum longevity.

The talk was the first in a series of three hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with Gaggenau running from 7 to 9 June, which are moderated by Frearson.

Subsequent discussions include a talk about designing kitchens that form "the hub of the home" on Wednesday 8 June, which features a panel including Dada's director of product development Andrea Molteni and designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg.

On Thursday 9 June, Design Haus Liberty founder Dara Huang and architect Michel Rojkind of Rojkind Arquitectos will feature in a talk on how their practices have changed over the course of the pandemic.

A Statement of Form is on show between 7 and 11 June during Milan design week, daily from 11am to 5pm. To visit, register at www.gaggenau.com.

You can watch all the talks live on Dezeen here.

Milan design week 2022

A Statement of Form is part of Milan design week 2022, which takes place from 6 to 12 June 2022. See our Milan design week 2022 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Gaggenau as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Dezeen is on WeChat!

Click here to read the Chinese version of this article on Dezeen's official WeChat account, where we publish daily architecture and design news and projects in Simplified Chinese.

The post Watch a talk exploring sustainability and longevity in design with Gaggenau at Milan design week appeared first on Dezeen.

Designer Olalekan Jeyifous argued that the African diaspora is futuristic during a panel talk on afrofuturism, art and design hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with NeueHouse.

Speaking alongside Dezeen's US editor Ben Dreith, conceptual artist Fabiola Jean-Louis and TNRK co-founder Tariq Dixon at NeueHouse's Madison Square location during Frieze New York, Jeyifous argued that members of the African diaspora had a unique historical link to the idea of world building.

"Those who were brought to the Americas and enslaved, every single thing that we have created has been a new thing, because there just simply wasn't a precedent for it," he said.

The talk was the second part of Building the Future, a series hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with NeueHouse throughout 2022 which will explore what comes next in art, architecture and design.

Jeyifous is a Brooklyn-based artist and designer who examines the relationship between architecture, community and environment.

His work covers a variety of mediums, including photomontage, sculpture and large-scale installations. He has previously exhibited at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Museum of Modern Art, Vitra Design Museum and Guggenheim Bilbao Museum.

"We had to draw on our past and our traditions – from the music, to the food, to the clothing, to even systems of behaviour and mannerisms and everything in education, it was all completely new," said Jeyifous.

"So there's probably no one more fundamentally futuristic in terms of actually building something new than those who are part of the African diaspora" he noted.

Speaking at the talk, Jean-Louis interrogated the popular Western conception of the future and sci-fi aesthetic.

"There's this idea that if you can afford or have access to all of the technology, then you are part of that science world, right?" she said. "And I beg to differ."

"I think that black communities have been ignored for so long, because we've had to actually create things out of nothing," she continued.

"Is it about having the best technology within your world? Or is it the ability to create something out of necessity, which people have been doing for a very long time?"

Jean-Louis is a conceptual artist. Her work uses antique imagery to unpack representations of black women throughout history. Jean-Louis often works with textiles, and in a recent series of works created several elaborate baroque-influenced dresses made entirely out of paper.

"Influence of African works to modernism and Western visual language was so pervasive"

The panel also discussed the importance of recognising the contribution of the African diaspora to contemporary art and design.

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, Dixon sought to provoke wider discussions about race and colonialism's legacy within the design world.

Dixon co-founded TRNK, an online curatorial platform and design retail shop, in 2013. Based in New York, the brand offers a selection of thoughtfully curated furnishings and design pieces, with a particular focus on minority and LGBTQ+ creators.

TRNK's digital exhibition, named Provenance, set out to represent how the historical contributions of BIPOC communities, and particularly the African diaspora, have been marginalized, whitewashed and tokenised.

"The influence of African works to modernism and Western visual language was so pervasive – it completely changed how the Western world thought about form and geometry," said Dixon.

"But even the value of these particular works, the monetary value, was based on its legacy of white ownership. Because no provenance was given to any of these works."

"African works were just treated as little ethnographic trinkets. And it wasn't until  Picasso got his hands on a Fang mask, that all of a sudden, there's this new ascribed value to it" he continued.

"So we were challenging a lot of these designers to interrogate the references more deeply."

The online exhibition featured pieces by contemporary design studios, including Tbilisi design studio Rooms, and Ethiopian American artist and industrial designer Jomo Tariku, alongside vintage African masks and furniture.

"It is about unpacking these legacies and hopefully starting to build a new canon of African-inspired work that can exist outside of this legacy of colonialism," said Dixon.

"If we're not careful, then it becomes a pigeonhole."

Answering questions from the live audience at NeueHouse Madison Square, the speakers also touched on the limitations of the label of afrofuturism.

Jean-Louis noted that the term could be used to minimise black artists.

"At the end of the day, if we're not careful, then it becomes a pigeonhole," she said. "It becomes something that you're lumped right into, that you may not necessarily want to be known by."

"It doesn't mean that you don't honour it, you don't love it. But you know, it's that conversation that a lot of black artists have – do I want to be known as a black artist, or just an artist?" she continued. "Do I want to be known as a woman, a female artist, or just an artist?"

"And so I just think that as safe as it can be, we have to be vigilant, we have to be careful, we have to be wise, in constantly expanding on what that safe space means and looks like, and who controls that," Jean-Louis added.

Jeyifous also referenced the discourse around the popular lo-fi aesthetic often associated with Afrofuturism.

"When I showed Shanty Megastructures in Lagos, Nigeria, I gave a talk to architecture students at UNILAG. And one student got up she just completely eviscerated me" said Jeyifous.

"She was like, why are you creating terrible ruin porn for the consumption of Western media, and making this stuff look so bad. And then after she asked that question, the entire class erupted in a standing ovation."

"Another student jumped up and said, Why do you think this is ugly architecture? He's like, for me, this uses local materials, organic materials...[It's] more connected. So he was like, we have to interrogate ourselves why [we think that]," he continued. "It really did generate a very heated conversation."

"I have to think of what I'm doing and who the work is speaking to, and what exactly, it's saying. It's a constant evaluation and revaluation of these kinds of works," he added. "That I think is very important."

Partnership content

This talk was filmed by Dezeen for NeueHouse as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen's partnership content here.

The post African diaspora is "fundamentally futuristic" says Olalekan Jeyifous appeared first on Dezeen.

Promotion: at a talk organised by Therme Art at Venice Art Biennale last month, artists Sonia Boyce and Precious Okoyomon discussed how they use play in their work to bring people closer together.

In partnership with the British Council and the Serpentine, Therme Art's Wellbeing Culture Forum talk: The Impact of Social Practice saw moderators Hans Ulrich Obrist, curator and artistic director of Serpentine Galleries, and Monilola Ilupeju, artist and curator at Therme Art, discuss the impact of social practice within communities.

Obrist and Ilupeju were joined by three panellists, British artist and educator Sonia Boyce; artist, poet, and chef Precious Okoyomon; and The Shane Akeroyd associate curator of the British Pavilion, Emma Ridgway.

Sonia Boyce's installation Feeling Her Way, which is on show at the Biennale until 27 November, was used as a point of departure for the conversation.

Exploring the potential of collaborative play as a route to innovation, Feeling Her Way brings together video works featuring five Black female musicians – Poppy Ajudha, Jacqui Dankworth MBE, Sofia Jernberg, Tanita Tikaram and composer Errollyn Wallen CBE – who were invited by Boyce to improvise, interact and play with their voices.

The video works are showcased among Boyce's signature tessellating wallpapers and 3D geometric structures. The Pavilion's rooms are filled with sounds – sometimes harmonious, sometimes clashing – conveying feelings of freedom, power and vulnerability.

"We tend to think of play as an infantile thing and I think that for adults we find it incredibly difficult to play," observed Boyce. "It's almost as if we have anxiety about revealing our true selves in that moment."

"When I'm working with a group of people who don't know each other, in a space where I'm asking them to just see what can happen, to improvise without a script, to find a what to negotiate with each other, I'm also on that journey to the space between the known and the unknown, and that's what play is about – it's about trying to get to a place of innovation."

Moderator Ilupeju responded, "To me, improvisation is also a way of playing, a way of being ultra-present in your body. I think in the world that we're living in today, that thrives off of desensitisation and living in projections and living in fear, to live presently in the body, to allow yourself to improvise, to improvise with other people, I think is a really powerful political gesture."

Precious Okoyomon, who also puts community as a central ethos in their work, spoke about how the living landscape installations they create not only provide a space for collective mourning and joy but also feed back into the community.

"To me, art isn't just what's in the space. It's how it lives and breathes and entangles with the earth," they reflected. "That soil goes back out to the community, and it's not just art anymore. It literally goes back into the earth and then someone's going to use that in their farm. That energy continues, building and going out, and that's the poetics of relation. For me, it's how it spreads, how it changes and grows."

Currently on show at the Biennale, Okoyomon's installation, titled To See the Earth Before the End of the World, is a landscape planted with Kudzu vines and sugar cane. Streams of water flow through the soil and live butterflies flutter around the space interacting with the plants around them.

"I like getting out of the room and into the world, taking us out into a space that makes us a little uncomfortable," Okoyomon said talking about the temporality of their work. "It's the play for me; the freedom of getting malleable and loose and getting to dream in a different way that doesn't feel bound by anything. It's also just so fun."

The talk was the latest in Therme Art's Wellbeing Culture Forum talk series. Therme Art is the creative platform of Therme Group, responsible for outreach to creative communities, "focused on the production of wellbeing at the heart of art and culture".

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Therme Art as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Panellists discuss how play can be a "powerful political gesture" at Venice talk appeared first on Dezeen.

The co-founder of Matter Displaced, an exhibition about designing using waste, discussed the ideas behind the show in this live talk moderated by Dezeen as part of Southern Sweden Design Days.

Matter Displaced is an exhibition highlighting Nordic designers, studios and companies that find waste materials locally and reuse them to create new designs.

It is being held as part of Southern Sweden Design Days, a new international design festival in Malmö taking place from 19-22 May.

Matter Displaced's co-founder Anna Gudmundsdottir, who is an industrial designer at Malmö Upcycling Service, appeared on the panel.

The exhibition's partners were also represented on the panel by Dag Duberg, Nordic sustainability manager at Tarkett, and Wickie Meier Engström, director and partner at Kvadrat Really.

The panel was moderated by Dezeen's deputy editor Cajsa Carlson, and interrogated the potential of treating waste as a resource in the design process.

Gudmundsdottir is an industrial designer based in Malmö who focuses on local manufacturing and circular design. She currently acts as a project leader at SPOK, an organisation researching and promoting local manufacturing.

She also founded the Malmö Upcycling Service, a design collective that makes use of discarded materials.

Gudmundsdottir co-founded Matter Displaced with Melissa Marie, a Malmö-based designer and founder of interdisciplinary design practice Studio Marie Karl.

Duberg is Nordic sustainability manager at flooring brand Tarkett, where he works to put circular economy theories into practice in industry.

He has been working in the flooring industry for more than thirty years, and holds a masters degree in Industrial Economics & Organisation from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

Meier Engström is director and partner at Kvadrat Really, the upcycling-focussed arm of Danish textile company Kvadrat. She is a co-founder of Denmark's Index Design to Improve Life Awards, and has acted as an innovation consultant to organisations including Unicef Supply Division, Statoil and TrygFonden.

From 2011 to 2016, Meier Engström held the position of associate professor of Sustainable Design Strategies at the Esmod Design School in Berlin.

Partnership content

This talk was produced by Dezeen for Southern Sweden Design Days as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen's partnership content here.

The post Watch a talk on designing with waste live from Southern Sweden Design Days appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with London Craft Week to host a talk with Renewcell, Modern Synthesis and Pangaia exploring biomaterials and circular fashion.

Called Pioneering Innovation in Making, the talk explored material innovation by looking at the proliferation of biomaterials in sustainable fashion and their wide-ranging applications – from furniture to footwear.

It explored the work of biomaterial company Modern Synthesis, sustainable textile company Renewcell, which specialises in creating high-quality materials made from recycled textiles, and materials science company Pangaia, which works with scientists, technologists and designers to create bio-engineered materials.

The event was hosted by The Mills Fabrica, an innovation platform created to support tech and lifestyle companies in adopting more sustainable approaches.

The discussion took place at The Mills Fabrica's London concept store, called Fabrica X, which features a selection of innovative fashion tech products and sustainable designs.

Moderated by Dezeen deputy editor Cajsa Carlson, the panel comprised co-founder and CEO of Modern Synthesis Jen Keane, CEO of Renewcell Patrik Lundström and research and development director of Pangaia Craig Smith.

The panellists discussed their individual approaches to material innovation and circularity in the fashion industry, as well as share their thoughts on how to encourage the adoption of these sustainable techniques on a global scale.

Panellists also looked at how biomaterials are being used in craft. They discussed new materials and processes, some of which draw upon traditional practises and heritage techniques.

Keane of Modern Synthesis spoke about the role and importance of materials in relation to climate change and the role that microbes can play in paving a future to circular fashion.

She also expanded on Modern Synthesis's microbial textile platform, which uses bacteria to grow new materials in a bid to curb the fashion industry's emissions and plastic pollution.

Keane is a bio-designer and CEO of Modern Synthesis. Having studied Material Futures at Central Saint Martins and Fibre Science and Apparel Design at Cornell University, Keane went on to work for sportswear company Adidas, specialising in materials design and development.

Since then, she has gone on to co-found biotech company Modern Synthesis with Ben Reeve in London. The company specialises in crafting new materials using biology.

Lundström of Renewcell spoke about the company's patented process of upcycling cellulose-based textile waste, such as cotton clothes, to transform it into a new material called Circulose.

In addition, Lundström explained how a circular approach to design can be scaled up quickly to make meaningful impact, and how the use of man-made cellulosic fibre could form a viable means of achieving this.

As CEO of Renewcell, Lundström leads the textile-to-textile recycling company with the aim to create a circular fashion industry on a global scale.

As part of London Craft Week, Renewcell unveiled an installation showcasing Circulose, which is made entirely from textile waste. The installation is available to visit until 15 May at Fabrica X.

Prior to joining the company, Lundström co-founded tech company JonDeTech and has worked with a number of corporations such as Royal DSM and General Electric.

Smith of Pangaia talked about the company's approach to research and development in material innovation, as well as its ambition to democratise these innovations and make them accessible to businesses.

Smith also talked about the company's dedicated innovation arm, Pangaia Lab, and its recent launches.

He has worked in development and research-focused roles for over 14 years and has experience in commercialising materials and products, especially in the sporting goods sector.

Smith has worked on a number of high profile projects with brands such as Speedo, Adidas, Lacoste and Lululemon.

The talk took place as part of London Craft Week, which brings together over 250 creatives in a citywide programme of talks, exhibitions, product launches and immersive experiences celebrating craft.

The week-long event takes place throughout Bloomsbury and Mayfair.

London Craft Week takes place from 9-15 May 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with London Craft Week. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch a talk exploring the future of biomaterials in fashion at London Craft Week appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with DesignMarch to livestream a day of talks focused on the role of design in shaping alternative futures. Watch the third session above, which included a talk by speculative architect Liam Young.

DesignTalks is a programme of live talks that took place at the Henning Larsen Architects-designed Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland, which was moderated by Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs.

The third and final session explored how designers are expanding realities into the digital realm, as well as how speculative design can be a useful tool in creative and critical reflection with the potential to guide the designs of the future.

The session featured contributions from an array of architects, designers and experts, including Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, founder of architecture practice SAP and filmmaker and speculative architect Liam Young, who will join remotely.

DesignTalks took place on May 4 in Reykjavik and was split up into three themed sessions.

The first session was livestreamed earlier on Dezeen and focused on approaches to resilient design, circular thinking and regeneration, with featured speakers including architect and founder of Exploration Architecture Michael Pawlyn and Mexican designer Gabriela Sánchez y Sánchez de la Barquera.

The second session, which focused on environmental restoration and the notion of rewilding, was also livestreamed earlier on Dezeen and featured contributions from architectural researcher Stefán Laxness and Pentagram partner and information designer Giorgia Lupi.

The day concluded with the official opening ceremony of the DesignMarch festival, Iceland's largest design fair. Curated by Hlin Helga Guðlaugsdóttir, the festival brings together discussions, exhibitions and shows spanning architecture, fashion, interiors and graphic design.

You can find out more about the full lineup of talks here.

DesignMarch takes place from 4-8 May 2022 in Reykjavík, Iceland. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with DesignMarch. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch the third session of DesignMarch's talks on designing digital realities appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with DesignMarch to livestream a day of talks focused on the role of design in shaping alternative futures. Watch the second session above, which included a talk by Pentagram partner Giorgia Lupi.

DesignTalks is a programme of live talks that took place at the Henning Larsen Architects-designed Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland and was moderated by Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs.

The second session focused on environmental restoration and the notion of rewilding, as well as the design of data, information and digital spaces.

The session featured contributions from an array of architects, designers and experts including architectural researcher Stefán Laxness, Pentagram partner and information designer Giorgia Lupi, DOGA managing director Tor Inge Hjemdal and digital fashion designer and founder of The Fabricant Susanne Vos, among others.

DesignTalks took place throughout the day on May 4 in Reykjavik and was split up into three themed sessions.

The first session was livestreamed earlier on Dezeen and focused on approaches to resilient design, circular thinking and regeneration, with featured speakers including architect and founder of Exploration Architecture Michael Pawlyn and Mexican designer Gabriela Sánchez y Sánchez de la Barquera.

The third and final session focused on how designers are expanding realities into the digital realm, with contributions from Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, founder of architecture practice SAP.

The day concluded with the official opening ceremony of the DesignMarch festival, Iceland's largest design fair. Curated by Hlin Helga Guðlaugsdóttir, the festival brings together discussions, exhibitions and shows spanning architecture, fashion, interiors and graphic design.

You can find out more about the full lineup of talks here.

DesignMarch takes place from 4-8 May 2022 in Reykjavík, Iceland. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with DesignMarch. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch the second session of DesignMarch's talks focusing on environmental restoration and rewilding appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with DesignMarch to livestream a day of talks focused on the role of design in shaping alternative futures. Watch the first session above, which included talks by biomimetic architect Michael Pawlyn.

DesignTalks is a programme of live talks that took place at the Henning Larsen Architects-designed Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland and was moderated by Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs.

The first talk explored approaches to resilient design, circular thinking, regeneration and how designers can turn to traditional and indigenous craftsmanship to guide the designs of the future.

The session featured contributions from an array of architects, designers and experts including architect and founder of Exploration Architecture Michael Pawlyn, sustainability pioneer and co-founder of Lendager Group Anders Lendager and Mexican designer Gabriela Sánchez y Sánchez de la Barquera.

DesignTalks took place throughout the day May 4 in Reykjavík and was split up into three themed sessions.

The second session was livestreamed on Dezeen and focused on environmental restoration and the notion of rewilding, with featured speakers including architectural researcher Stefán Laxness and Pentagram partner and information designer Giorgia Lupi.

The third and final session focused on how designers are expanding realities into the digital realm, with contributions from digital fashion designer and founder of The Fabricant Susanne Vos and Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, founder of architecture practice SAP.

The day concluded with the official opening ceremony of the DesignMarch festival, Iceland's largest design fair. Curated by Hlin Helga Guðlaugsdóttir, the festival brings together discussions, exhibitions and shows spanning architecture, fashion, interiors and graphic design.

You can find out more about the full lineup of talks here.

DesignMarch takes place from 4-8 May 2022 in Reykjavík, Iceland. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with DesignMarch. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch the first session of DesignMarch's talks focusing on resilient design and circular thinking appeared first on Dezeen.

Nanna Ditzel should be regarded as one of Denmark's best designers but has been "forgotten," according to speakers at a panel discussion hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with furniture brand Fredericia.

"She was considered the punk woman of Danish design," said Fredericia owner Thomas Graversen. "All the younger generation didn't dare to do what she did."

But he added that she was "more or less forgotten in Denmark".

"I have to conclude she was forgotten and probably because she was a woman," said Anders Byriel, CEO of Danish textile brand Kvadrat.

"I think she's in the top five Danish designers. She's up there with the big masters."

Ditzel, who died in 2005 aged 82, designed products for both Fredericia and Kvadrat and Graversen and Byriel knew her personally.

"Sometimes she took things further than maybe you thought you could do technically," said Graversen.

"She was taught as a cabinet maker but was truly an industrial designer," he added. "She designed maybe the most famous trains in Denmark; she did all this wonderful jewellery for Georg Jensen; she did a lot of household stuff like bowls and textiles."

"If you study her back catalogue, she has designed almost everything we use in daily life."

Ditzel deserved to be counted among design icons

Graversen and Byriel discussed the late designer's legacy at Fredericia's London showroom on 17 March in a conversation moderated by Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs.

Both argued that Ditzel deserved to be counted amongst Danish design icons such as Hans J Wegner, Arne Jacobsen and Verner Panton.

Born in Copenhagen in 1923, Ditzel trained to become a cabinetmaker before going on to study at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen where she would meet her husband Jørgen Ditzel. They formed a design studio and worked together until his death in 1961.

"Jørgen died in 1961 when he was only 40 years old but when they were a couple, the attention was very much on Jørgen because he was the man. So after he died, she sort of stepped in and was in charge of everything herself," Graversen explained.

Together with her husband, Ditzel designed products across a range of disciplines including furniture, textiles, wallpaper and homeware.

"People were living their daily lives maybe not knowing it was all designed by Nanna," Graversen said.

Following the death of her husband, Ditzel continued designing a slew of furniture and objects throughout her career including jewellery for Georg Jensen, several furniture pieces for Fredericia, including the 1993 Trinidad chair, and Kvadrat's first and best-selling textile Hallingdal.

Breaking free of restrictive design rules

Belonging to a generation of designers that followed icons such as Arne Jacobsen, Børge Mogensen and Hans J Wegner, Ditzel studied under the influential designer Kaare Klint at the Danish School of Arts and Crafts in 1942 and graduated as a cabinetmaker in 1943.

"She broke out of these very restrictive and formal rules of design that Klint was teaching," Graversen stated.

"If you saw the Trinidad chair in 1993 when it came out, it looked like something never seen before," he added. "Everyone was buying Jacobsen's Series 7 chair or the Ant chair but then suddenly someone dared to put ornamentation on a chair."

After the death of Jørgen Ditzel, Ditzel relocated to London where she ran the Interspace furniture store in Hampstead together with her second husband Kurt Heide until his death in 1985, after which she returned to Denmark.

Ditzel began working with Fredericia in 1989, designing several pieces such as the Bench for Two-seat and the Trinidad chair. She became the brand's second in-house designer after Mogensen.

"She came with a more sensitive kind of design to this very masculine Mogensen and Wegner era that everyone knew at the time and that was a lucky strike for us," Graversen explained.

In 1965 Ditzel designed Hallingdal, Kvadrat's very first fabric, which it describes as "the archetype of woollen textiles".

"She was our first influential colourist," Byriel said. "A very important contribution for us and I think one of the most important colourists from the 1960s together with Verner Panton – at least from Scandinavia," he added.

Readjustment of the canon

The reevaluation of Ditzel's impact on Danish design history is part of a wider reassessment of design and architecture history in recent years, acknowledging the impact of women whose work has historically been overlooked in favour of their male peers.

Examples include Lilly Reich, a Bauhaus professor who spent over a decade collaborating with architect Mies van der Rohe, Aino Marsio-Aalto, the wife and collaborator of architect Alvar Aalto, and Denise Scott Brown, the partner and widow of architect Robert Venturi who was excluded from her husband's 1991 Pritzker Prize recognition.

"In contemporary art, there's an adjustment of history, where you're going back and asking if we need to adjust the canon," Byriel said.

The panel argued that Ditzel's work served as a link between the canon of mid-century Danish design and a more contemporary generation of designers in Denmark, including Cecilie Manz and Maria Bruun.

"She was probably one of the links from the people who built mid-century [design]," Byriel said.

"I think that there will be a new generation who will look to her as their rock star," Graversen added.

Fredericia is a Danish furniture brand founded in 1911. Besides Ditzel, the brand also produces the designs of iconic Danish designers such as Mogensen and Wegner, as well as the work of contemporary designers including Manz and Jasper Morrison.

Partnership content

This talk was filmed by Dezeen for Fredericia as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen's partnership content here.

The post Nanna Ditzel's contribution to Danish design overlooked "because she was a woman" appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with Universal Design Studio and Map Project Office to host a live talk exploring the evolution and role of the contemporary design agency.

The talk, was moderated by Dezeen editor-at-large Amy Frearson, and marked the launch of The New Standard, a design collective formed by Universal Design Studio, Made Thought and Map Project Office.

The panel was made up of Carly Sweeney, associate director at Universal Design Studio, Emilie Robinson, senior designer and strategist of Map Project Office, and Universal Design Studio associate Nick Rolls.

The speakers discussed topics such as the history of the design studio, what design means in the context of strategy, and the future of the industry.

The panel also showcased recent cross-collaborative projects between Universal Design Studio and Map Project Office, and discussed how agencies can provide innovative creative solutions whilst navigating the evolving needs of the industry.

Speakers also touched on the theme of mobility as an ecosystem, in reference to Map Project Office's recently published e-paper. This paper discusses the tangible changes in the mobility industry after two years with Covid-19.

Acting as Universal Design Studio's associate director, architect Sweeney works to develop and deliver strategies within a multi-disciplinary team.

She has worked on notable recent projects such as 100 Liverpool Street with Hopkins Architects and The Exchange at Paddington Square with Renzo Piano and RPBW.

Robinson is a senior designer at Map Project Office. As part of her role, Robinson leads design strategy and research for enterprise clients, including IBM.

Robinson previously worked with clients such as Proctor & Gamble and Mars during her time at Matter and Studio Make Believe. Robinson has a particular interest in technology, sustainability and consumer insights.

Rolls joined Universal Design Studio in 2006 and currently holds the position of associate. His previous collaborations include the Information Age Gallery with the Science Museum and an online exhibition with Google Web Lab. 

Rolls' work particularly focuses on the intersection of digital and physical design.

 Partnership content

This talk was produced by Dezeen for Universal Design Studio as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen's partnership content here.

The post Watch a live talk on the role of design consultancies with Universal Design Studio appeared first on Dezeen.

A panel including Liam Young, Refik Anadol and Space Popular expressed both optimism and trepidation about the rise of the metaverse in a talk hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with NeueHouse during Frieze Los Angeles.

Speaking on a panel organised by Dezeen as part of NeueHouse Hollywood's programming during Frieze Los Angeles, Young explained that the potential for creative expression in digital spaces was matched by the threat posed by privatisation and surveillance.

"There's real opportunity and excitement there, but there's also incredible danger," said Young, a speculative architect and co-founder of think tank Tomorrows Thoughts Today and research studio Unknown Fields Division.

Young expects the metaverse to be a more mundane space than is often depicted in the media, which tends to focus on celebrity projects and luxury brands.

"The metaverse is not necessarily going to be a late capitalist Zuckerbergain fever dream," he explained.

"At the same time, it is neither going to be an escapist utopian fantasy or a flat world without the systemic horrors of the real."

"Metaverse will be equal parts fear and wonder"

"In a way, it'll be both of these things, because no technology has ever really been a solution to anything – it really just exaggerates the conditions that exist," he said.

"So the metaverse will be equal parts fear and wonder."

The talk, titled Building the Metaverse, was hosted on the rooftop terrace of NeueHouse Hollywood. It marks the first in a series of talks in collaboration between Dezeen and Neuehouse called Building the Future, which will take place throughout 2022 at the workspace brand's locations across the US.

Hosted by design writer and Dezeen contributor Mimi Zeiger, the talk brought together a group of creatives working at the cutting edge of architecture, art and technology.

Appearing alongside Young were Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg, co-founders of architecture practice Space Popular, and digital artist and director Anadol.

Anadol held a more optimistic view of the metaverse's potential.

"I've got more hope than fear," he said. "We have web 2.0 problems right now, we are all profiles somewhere on Earth, and we are all predictable. Hardware-software systems know where we go, what we eat, where we read and see and feel. I think that kind of profile in the cloud is most likely the 21st century imagination."

"I think the web 3.0 and eventually the metaverse has the potential to detach the profile culture, and maybe bring anonymity first of all," he explained.

"We choose to instead call it the immersive internet"

Hellberg stated that Space Popular has pushed back against use of the word "metaverse", claiming that many of the innovations associated with the term are already being used.

"The term that we're discussing here today, 'metaverse', we've actually resisted over many years, because it speaks for something new and exciting, something imagined," he said.

"We choose to instead call it the immersive internet. It's actually just a three-dimensional version of the internet. A lot of these things that we are going to experience, they are kind of already there."

During an introductory presentation, Lesmes revealed that Space Popular is working on a project exploring wayfinding in the metaverse.

Space Popular have been designing architectural "portals' that can transport" digital avatars from one virtual space to another, while using design to convey information about the space that they offer access to.

"Moving from one web page to another basically involves clicking on that blue underlined text, those hyperlinks," said Lesmes .

"When you have to switch between one three-dimensional space to another, you're very quickly confronted with the question, how do you create that transition?"

"In our research, we're trying to start to think about what we think is a good portal, what is an inviting portal, what is a portal that is also giving you enough information about the space you are entering," she continued.

"That made us start to think about these portals made of virtual fabric that potentially could give you information about this very complex network".

The still from Renderlands is by Liam Young

Partnership content

This talk was filmed by Dezeen for NeueHouse as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen's partnership content here.

The post The metaverse "will be equal parts fear and wonder" says Liam Young appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with Italian architecture studio Stefano Boeri Architetti to host a live talk marking the launch of Stefano Boeri's book exploring the relationship between nature and architecture.

Titled Green Obsession: Trees Towards Cities, Humans Towards Forests, the book explores the work that Boeri's eponymous architecture practice has been doing for the past 15 years to redefine the relationship between the city and nature.

Moderated by Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs, the talk explored some of the book's central themes, including the role and importance of integrating nature with architecture and urban planning.

The book, published by Actar Publishers and supported by Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, aims to give voice to an ecological transition within architecture, in which cities are designed to support not only human life but all living species.

"We have an obsession: that of creating buildings for trees, which can also be inhabited by humans and even birds," Boeri said.

"We are also obsessed with designing forest cities, where plants and nature have no less of a presence than humans, and where both create a habitat in which mineral surfaces are reduced to the minimum amount needed for life."

Other topics explored in the book include the role that communication, politics and economics play within the climate crisis. It includes contributions from ethologist and conservationist Jane Goodall and American environmentalist Paul Hawken, among other experts.

Boeri is best known for designing plant-covered buildings to combat air pollution and counter the effects of deforestation while fostering the connection between humans and nature in urban landscapes.

Amongst his most notable architectural projects is Bosco Verticale, which translates to vertical forest, a pair of high-density residential towers covered in trees in Milan.

More recently, Stefano Boeri Architetti completed its first vertical forest in China, comprising two 80-metre residential towers covered in over 400 trees and plants.

The book also includes masterplans of Boeri's The Green River design, an urban reforestation project for Milan's unused railways which proposes 45,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide could be absorbed while producing 1,800 tonnes of oxygen.

Partnership content

This talk was produced by Dezeen for Stefano Boeri Architetti as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Watch our live talk with Stefano Boeri about his new book Green Obsession appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with The World Around to live-stream its 2022 summit. Watch the third session above, which featured talks with Monument Lab and designer Miriam Hillawi Abraham.

The World Around 2022 is a day of live architecture talks taking place at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

The third and final session of the summit was presented by the Guggenheim museum' s deputy director Cyra Levenson and focused on how opinions towards monuments and ecological preservation have changed over the past year.

A series of experts took part in the session such as Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti of DAAR who shared a campaign to recognise the world's oldest refugee camp, Dheisheh, as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Designer Hillawi Abraham presented Abyssinian Cyber Vernaculus, a virtual reality project, and photographer Sebastián López Brach discussed his photography of Rosario's forest fires.

Filmmaker Matthew Heineman presented The First Wave, a documentary exploring the effect of the pandemic in New York.

Public art studio Monument Lab spoke about the National Monument Audit, a survey assessment of the monuments across the United States, the first of its kind.

Finally architect Paulo Tavares presented his argument that forests and trees can be considered monuments.

Founded by curator Beatrice Galilee, The World Around is an online, non-profit organisation hosting annual summits of talks featuring design, architecture and culture experts.

This year's summit is co-presented by the Guggenheim Museum and Het Nieuwe Instituut in the Netherlands.

The first and second session of today's event were live-streamed on Dezeen earlier today.

You can check out the full lineup of talks here.

The World Around took place on 5 February. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with The World Around. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch part three of The World Around 2022 featuring Monument Lab and Miriam Hillawi Abraham appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with The World Around to live-stream its 2022 summit. Watch the second session above, which featured talks by curator Aric Chen, architect Tadao Ando and Chinese studio Open Architecture.

The World Around 2022 is a day of live architecture talks taking place at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

The second session was presented by Aric Chen, director of the Het Nieuwe Instituut, and explored the invisible networks and processes behind materials.

The session featured a host of design and architecture experts such as architect Tadao Ando, who introduced his restoration of the Bourse de Commerce in Paris and its conversion into the Pinault collection.

Speaking from Beijing, Open Architecture talked about the Chapel of Sound, its rock-like open-air concert hall located outside Beijing.

Design collective Design Earth spoke about its book The Planet After Geoengineering, while artist Himali Singh Soin discussed her series of works exploring ice.

Architect Dominique Petit-Frère presented her design studio Limbo Accra based in Accra, Ghana.

Principal architect of MVRDV Winy Maas introduced the practice's recent project Depot Van Beuningen, the world's first fully accessible art depot.

Finally architect David Chipperfield talked about the renovation of Mies van der Rohe's Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin and designer Amie Siegel discussed her practice in conversation with The World Around founder and curator Beatrice Galilee.

The World Around is an online, non-profit organisation hosting annual summits of talks featuring design, architecture and culture experts.

This year's summit is co-presented by the Guggenheim Museum and Het Nieuwe Instituut in the Netherlands.

The first session of the day was livestreamed earlier on Dezeen and included Italian design studio Formafantasma and curator of the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale Lesley Lokko among others.

You can check out the full lineup of talks here.

The World Around took place online on 5 February. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with The World Around. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch part two of The World Around 2022 featuring Tadao Ando, Open Architecture and Aric Chen appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen teamed up with The World Around to live-stream its 2022 summit. Watch the first session above, which included talks by curator Lesley Lokko and design studio Formafantasma.

The World Around 2022 is a day of live architecture talks taking place at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

The first session of the summit saw a host of experts talk about educational projects and architectural ideas that "moved the world".

Lokko wildiscussed the African Futures Initiative, a postgraduate school of architecture based in Ghana.

Author Amitav Ghosh discussed his new book called The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis, 2021 in conversation with Lucia Pietrousti, while architect Chris Hildrey discussed ProxyAddress, a digital platform created to address homelessness.

Curator Camila Marambio presented Turba Tol Hol-Hol Tol, a project that aims to develop a community focused on peatland conservation.

Eva Pfannes, director of design practice Ooze, discussed the studio's project The City of 1,000 Tanks Chennai, an initiative to mitigate and adapt to the risks of flood and drought brought on by climate change.

Design collective Top Manta talked about its products aimed at improving the life of street vendors in Barcelona and artist Ursula Biemann discussed her recent film Forest Mind.

Finally, Italian design studio Formafantasma spoke about its Cambio exhibition, which investigates the borders and networks that make up the design industry.

Founded by curator Beatrice Galilee, The World Around is an online, non-profit organisation hosting annual summits of talks featuring design, architecture and culture experts.

This year's summit was co-presented by the Guggenheim Museum and Het Nieuwe Instituut in the Netherlands.

You can check out the full lineup of talks here.

The World Around took place on 5 February. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with The World Around. Find out more about our partnership content here.

The post Watch part one of The World Around 2022 featuring Lesley Lokko and Formafantasma appeared first on Dezeen.