Spotted: Smallholder farmers in many developing countries suffer from a lack of scale – they cannot compete with large conglomerates, even if they offer a high-quality product. This is due to their lack access to financing, food processors, and the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market. In Nigeria, agricultural company ThriveAgric is using technology to help small farmers compete.
ThriveAgric uses its proprietary Agricultural Operating System (AOS) to assist farmers with financing, development and training, technology and post-harvest services, access to premium markets, and social and financial inclusion. Each season, the company onboards farmers and communities, inputting data about individual fields, soil texture, slope, proximity to water, and creditworthiness into the AOS. This data is used to calculate and disburse loans to each farmer, in the form of improved seeds, fertilisers, and crop protection products, rather than cash.
But that’s not all. ThriveAgric also gives tailored advice and tracks each farms’ progress using multiple data points, assisting, where needed, to maximise harvest. Farmers repay their loans in form of produce, based on agreed amounts. The rest of their harvest is profit. ThriveAgric stores all the produce in its own warehouses and sells it at volume at peak prices to markets where they have established relationships.
ThriveAgric recently raised $56.4 million (€58.2 million) in debt funding from local commercial banks and institutional investors. Discussing the investment, Chief Executive Officer Uka Eje said, “The new investment takes us one step closer to fulfilling our mission of building the largest network of profitable African farmers using technology to ensure food security.”
The climate crisis has encouraged innovators to explore new ways of increasing crop yields without using intensive methods that can harm the environment. Springwise has recently seen many promising developments in this area, including a sustainable fertiliser that can be manufactured on-site and the use of extremophile bacteria to increase crop yields.
A team of students and researchers at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC) has designed a prototype Solar Greenhouse for energy generation and food production with a “zero kilometre” philosophy.
The timber structure, constructed in Barcelona’s Serra de Collserola Natural Park, is intended to demonstrate how our most basic needs could be met in a more ecological way, in response to the EU’s aims to be net-zero by 2050.
Solar Greenhouse is an energy and food production prototype that was designed by students and researchers at IAAC
Led by Vicente Guallard and Daniel Ibañez, directors of the Masters programme in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities, the students worked with a variety of experts in cultivation, energy and water.
While the prototype sits in a natural landscape, it is intended it to be scalable and adaptable to a variety of settings, such as on the rooftops of inner-city buildings.
It was constructed using timber
“The aim was to design and build a system that could be replicated in both rural and urban areas,” said the designers.
“[It] represents the next step towards a more ecological agricultural transformation and progress in tackling food and energy poverty,” they continued.
The structure comprises two levels and features solar panels on its roof
The greenhouse is a simple, timber-framed structure with two levels, topped by glass panels and solar panels and wrapped in glass louvres that provide light and ventilation.
Germination takes place on the greenhouse’s lower level, while the upper level contains cultivation spaces, with a glass, diamond-shaped roof maximising its exposure to sunlight.
A network of pipes carrying nutrients and lighting for growth cycles is integrated into the structure. Hydroponics allow for plants to be grown without agricultural soil and LED strip lighting aids growth cycles.
The “zero kilometre” concept is normally used to describe food that is produced and eaten locally, and thus has travelled zero kilometres.
Here, the philosophy was applied not only to the greenhouse’s food production but also its construction, with materials being locally and sustainable sourced.
The prototype will be used to grow plants without soil
The pine for the timber was processed in the IAAC’s nearby Vallduara Labs, and the substrate materials in the planting beds consists of recycled sawdust — a waste product of the Green Fab Lab also on the university campus.
“The water, substrate and building materials are obtained from the surroundings, allowing the food grown to jump directly from production to consumption, without the need of a supply chain,” explained the designers.
“The ultimate goal is for the knowledge and the locally achieved systems to be applied at a global scale and, in this respect, the Solar Greenhouse is a valuable step forward,” they continued.
Materials used in the construction were sustainably sourced
Students from IAAC also designed and built a cabin for self-isolation using wood harvested from within one kilometre of the site.
In Belgium, Meta Architectuurbureau and Van Bergen Kolpa Architecten recently completed a greenhouse in Belgium atop an agricultural market to create an urban food production centre.
The Fourth Annual One Drawing Challenge is open for entries! Architecture’s most popular drawing competition is back and bigger than ever, including larger prizes. Get started on your submission.
Architecture is designed to bring people together. In residential projects, warmth and comfort define life’s daily rhythms and how we gather. In turn, fireplaces have long been a central focus of architecture, drawing people close while setting the atmosphere. Frank Lloyd Wright famously expressed that “the hearth is the psychological center of the home.” Fireplaces are unique in that they are both functional and aesthetic, with very specific demands for detailing and safety. Whether gas or wood burning, historically, they have long been used to heat the home and provide light.
As a central defining element of residential projects, fireplaces take on a hierarchy in floor plan drawings. Often they anchor the interiors of a home while other decors, furniture or art are designed around them. Both indoors and outdoors alike, careful consideration is given to whether the fireplace needs to be functional or simply to provide a design aesthetic to a space. Today, manufacturers and architects are exploring new designs that provide exciting alternatives to traditional models. Drawing from the Architizer database, we’ve rounded up a collection of fireplaces and the corresponding floor plans to showcase how they are being designed around the world.
Grove House
By Roger Ferris + Partners, Bridgehampton, NY, United States
Jury Winner, 2018 A+Awards, Private House (XL>5000 sq ft)
This private Hamptons residence was designed as an immersive retreat. Situated along a natural ravine and protected wetlands, the residence consists of three simple gable-shaped volumes, creating a dialogue between the natural grasslands and the built environment. A contemporary interpretation of a common New England building form, each volume is shrouded in horizontal wood slats which seamlessly wrap all wall and roof surfaces. A public great room is centrally located, acting as a social hub for family and guest interaction. Within the great room, special attention was taken to the design of the architectural concrete fireplace, countertops and black steel sash windows.
Ridge House
By Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Bonnyville, Canada
This retreat was conceived as a place for gathering family and friends as well as solitude. Located along the crest of a narrow ridge overlooking a broad valley, the drive that connects to the home turns to reveal a long, linear core of sawn stone that parallels the ridge, sliding under a single-slope roof through a steel-framed glass volume. The stone core, marked by two large fireplace masses, organizes the spaces, with primary circulation along its south face, while gaps in the stone provide access to each of the living spaces. In turn, clear and translucent glass along the south wall creates a play of light and shadow at the circulation spine.
Tofino Beach House
By Olson Kundig, Tofino, Canada
Designed as a beach house within the forest, this home creates a connection between the drama of the nearby ocean and the sense of sanctuary provided by the trees. Composed primarily of one large room, the house is light-filled on the south side facing the ocean, while remaining insular and protected on the other side. Glass walls open the living area to panoramic views of forest and ocean with two fireplaces on either end anchor that the space and provide a feeling of refuge. Artworks were incorporated into the design of the home, with the fireplace walls specially designed to fit paintings by Sam Francis and Diego Singh.
Nevis Pool and Garden Pavilion House
By Robert M. Gurney, Architect, Bethesda, MD, United States
This suburban pavilion is located adjacent to woodlands. A contemporary house surrounded by mature trees and manicured gardens anchors the site. A new swimming pool, stone walls and terraces located behind the existing house organize the rear yard and establishes a dialogue between the existing house and a new pavilion. New paths, trees and structured plantings reinforce the geometry. The new pavilion, intended for year round use, is strategically located to provide a threshold between the structured landscape and adjacent woodland. The doors pivot to open the space much of the year while a large Rumford fireplace and heated floors provide a cozy counterpoint in winter months.
Courtyard House on a River
By Robert Hutchison Architecture, Greenwater, WA, United States
This small residence is sited on the banks of the White River five miles from Mt. Rainier. The project was designed to quietly blend into the surrounding forest. An entry courtyard serves as a transition space from outdoors to indoors and keeps the ubiquitous elk herds at bay. A steel-clad fireplace mass separates the living room from a covered outdoor patio. By working diligently with the client (who also served as General Contractor for the project), the building footprint was kept as compact as possible to minimize site disturbance. The residence was made to epitomize the small home living movement.
Pit House
By Bloot Architecture, The Hague, Netherlands
The heart of a dilapidated brick corner house from 1929 was completely renovated and extended, incorporating an inviting sitting pit. The clients asked for more space, an open kitchen and a more direct relationship to the garden. The sitting pit forms a playful space around the fireplace, where the owners are able to stay together with each other, friends and family. Seen at eye level from the seating pit, there is a vertically sliding window on the street side. By sliding this open as well as the large sliding doors at the rear, visitors find themselves outside in a sitting pit, at a fireplace and under a roof. The fireplace sits in a solid block that, together with a thick wall on the other side and a wall parallel to the seating pit, supports the roof.
Cabin at Norderhov
By AtelierOslo, Hønefoss, Norway
This residential cabin project is located in Krokskogen forests, outside the town of Hønefoss. The site is very exposed to the wind and the cabin is shaped to create several outdoors spaces that provide shelter from the wind and sun at different times of day. The interior is a continuous space finished in a thin layer of curved birch plywood. The fireplace is located at the center of the cabin. The fireplace mantel is hanging from the ceiling, while the fire is down at the floor of the access level. This provides the feeling of a campfire in the landscape that can be seen from different places.
The Fourth Annual One Drawing Challenge is open for entries! Architecture’s most popular drawing competition is back and bigger than ever, including larger prizes. Get started on your submission.
The London Fire Brigade has unveiled its updated typeface designed by Studio Sutherl& and The Foundry Types at the Running Towards exhibition of graphic artworks informed by the organisation’s design heritage.
The Running Towards exhibition took place at the Shoreditch Fire Station during the London Design Festival, with visitors entering through the building’s big red shutters into a display of artworks created by UK designers.
The exhibition took place at Shoreditch Fire Station
The new Fire Brigade Sans typeface, created by Studio Sutherl& and The Foundry Types, was displayed on the exterior of Shoreditch Fire Station.
Its design was informed by the lettering of old fire engines and on the facade, the typeface was printed in the red, yellow and gold colours synonymous with fire engines.
Studio Sutherl& designed London Fire Brigade’s new typeface
To celebrate the typeface, London Fire Brigade collaborated with communications agency KesselsKramer, writer Thomas Sharp, Studio Sutherl& and carpet manufacturer Brintons on the exhibition, which saw designers create their own interpretations of the organisation’s design heritage.
Among the pieces on show were graphic interpretations of the Danger Risk of Fire safety sign, a bespoke carpet with a pattern informed by the universal fire exit sign and firefighting objects and items from Shoreditch Fire Station’s own collection.
London Fire Brigade’s typeface Fire Brigade Sans was featured on posters
KesselsKramer described the showcase as “a celebration of London Fire Brigade’s bravery, aiming to inspire that very same spirit within ourselves.”
The studio invited 25 London-based designers to recreate the fire safety symbol for their display, titled Warning: Risk of Fire.
“It felt appropriate that for London Fire Brigade’s inaugural Design Festival exhibition, a piece of graphic design synonymous with the fire service became the focus,” said KesselsKramer.
Franz Lang’s design tells the story of her grandma’s cat
Presented on triangular signs, each artwork was designed to tell a story of firefighting bravery. Graphic artist Jimmy Turrell‘s interpretation was dedicated to his father who was a firefighter.
Illustrator Franz Lang‘s entry represented the story of her grandma’s cat, who was rescued from a tree by the fire brigade.
“This is such an iconic location for an art show,” said Lauren Coutts, art director at KesselsKramer. “To get a rare glimpse into a fire station is very exciting in itself so to then be able to celebrate bravery here, in so many forms, feels very special.”
Brintons created a bespoke wool carpet for The Running Towards exhibition, which features a pattern informed by the universal fire exit symbol.
Brintons designed a carpet to display at The Running Towards exhibition
Burgundy and navy chevrons repeat along the length of the carpet with arrows and stick figures that reference the fire exit sign. According to Brintons, the carpet is made from wool to exemplify the material’s naturally fire-retardant properties.
“As a material, wool contains a higher water and nitrogen content than other man-made fibres making it a naturally fire-retardant material,” said Brintons.
“Another benefit is that it does not emit smoke or fumes, often one of the main causes of serious health issues following a fire.”
The exhibition showcased graphic posters in a colour palette that references fire engines
Other exhibitions that took place during London Design Festival include a collection of wooden objects made from a dying ash tree and a sculptural stone installation that references Stonehenge.
The photography is courtesy of the London Fire Brigade.
The Running Towards took place between 20 and 24 September as part of London Design Festival. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Spotted: Many African countries receive more than 2,500 hours of sunshine per year, making the continent an ideal location for solar energy power. As the number of providers grows, so too does access to renewable energy sources. Nigerian-based Starsight Energy expanded into three east African countries before merging with South African company SolarAfrica. The new combined business now covers three sizeable areas of the continent and has plans to develop further.
Tailored solar energy solutions provided by the company include a complete audit of an organisation’s power and cooling needs and a custom-designed installation. One of the main selling points of solar energy on the continent is its reliability combined with the lack of dramatic price fluctuations diesel customers contend with. Starsight says that its customers receive full power 99 per cent of the time. Depending on local conditions, the solar arrays can be on- or off-grid as best suits the situation.
To help make it easier for businesses of all sizes to afford the switch to renewable energy, customers pay no money upfront. Instead, clients pay a set monthly fee that includes all analysis, set-up, monitoring, and support services. Contract lengths vary with a minimum of five years. For businesses requiring energy at night, Starsight provides standby generators for sites requiring particularly heavy power loads as well as a Power-as-a-Service battery storage option.
The application of solar energy is expanding, with Springwise spotting innovations such as greenhouse solar systems that use wavelengths of light that plants cannot use, and solar cells printed onto construction steel for integrated energy generation.
An exhibition in Mexico curated in collaboration with Danish research lab Space10 has showcased five novel uses for local biomaterials.
Called Deconstructed Home, the exhibition was set up as part of a two-week programme organised by Space10, a research arm of IKEA. The lab gave five designers six weeks of experimentation and research to conceptualise “new possibilities and uses for a local biomaterial”.
The materials ranged from beeswax to soil and the final projects will travel throughout Mexico after the initial exhibition at LOOT, a gallery in Mexico City, which took place 26 March to 9 April 2022.
“The recent pandemic has highlighted flaws in our global supply chain, and the ongoing climate emergency has revealed further issues with the way we manufacture and transport materials and products around the world,” said Elsa Dagný Ásgeirsdóttir, lead creative producer at Space10.
Articles of Protection by Taina Campos
Taina Campos worked with corn from the Milpa Alta, a neighbourhood in Mexico City. The design brief required collaboration with Mujeres de la Tierra, a local community organisation.
The organisation helps women become financially independent through the selling of food and they wanted non-plastic vessels. Campos used waste from the corn harvest in order to produce these vessels for Articles of Protection.
Migrating Objects by Bertín López
The rambutan is a plant native to southeast Asia that moved into Mexico in the 1950s.
Using the plant in the state of Soconusco, Bertín López came up with a line of home goods. The project shows the potential usages of migrating species that come to play a role in local ecosystems.
“What was once foreign has become part of the local identity,” said López in a design statement.
Homes for Honey by Gabriel Calvillo
Taking note of the dwindling populations of the melipona, a stingless bee native to Yucatán, Calvillo drew on Mayan apiary techniques used for millennia.
The designer used beeswax from the bees to mould potes and piqueras for what he calls an “interspecies collaboration”.
The structures are prefabricated hives that the bees can inhabit and then finish the construction.
Building with Earth by Karen Kerstin Poulain
Designer Karen Kerstin Poulain chose to work with the soil of Naucalpan for her project.
The result was a composite material made by combining tepetate (volcanic soil), water, rice husk in order to reduce energy usages and resource exhaustion in concrete while also taking advantage of agricultural waste.
“To build affordable housing, we need alternative methods and liquid soil has great potential,” said the designer.
Weaving Heirlooms by Paloma Morán Palomar
This project uses the fibres of the tamarind in order to create a type of thread.
The husks of the tamarind are often discarded so Palomar, working in her native Jalisco, decided to use the thread to weave rugs.
By using the materials on top of traditional weaving techniques, the design manages to be novel in material usage while drawing on indigenous techniques.
San Francisco-based Studio Terpeluk has renovated and expanded Redwood House in Noe Valley with redwood interiors and terraces.
The three-storey Redwood House was originally designed by American architect Albert Lanier – husband to sculptor Ruth Asawa – in a hilly San Francisco neighbourhood characterised by Victorian and Edwardian houses.
Studio Terpeluk renovated an interior in Noe Valley
Studio Terpeluk was selected to expand the 1976 house from 2,260 square feet (210 square metres) to 3,218 square feet (299 square metres) with a new guest room suite, home office, wet bar and media room.
The renovation “surgically modified the house in an architecturally non-aggressive manner,” the studio said.
Western red cedar was used for the walls and ceiling
Wrapped with irregular western red cedar planks, the narrow house cascades down the hillside with exterior courtyards that mitigate the grade change.
One enters the house through an intimate courtyard off the street into an open-plan upper level with a sloping ceiling and dark-knotted Douglas fir flooring made from local reclaimed pier pilings.
Many of the walls and ceilings were updated with vintage rough-sawn redwood veneered plywood maintained from the original build.
“Redwood surfaces and structural elements complete the warm interior landscape: from the sloping roof beams to partition walls and built-in shelves,” the studio said.
The renovation expanded the home
To the left of the entrance is the kitchen with custom-gloss cabinets and a Carrara marble backsplash. It opens to a dining room that features a Saarinen table and Hans Wegner wishbone chairs.
To the right is the library where sunlight from the large window brightens the dark panelling and sculptural furniture.
Bright panelling contrasts the rich wood tones
The living room is oriented around a pink sculpture by American artist Wanxin Zhang.
Padded seating wraps the corner under a large window looking out to the San Francisco skyline.
The living room has wrap-around seating and views of San Francisco
The house is centred around a staircase illuminated by a skylight.
“The sculptural blackened steel stair with vintage rough-sawn redwood plywood walls anchors the house, weaving together the three floors and their diverse spatial character,” the studio continued.
The home is oriented around a central staircase
The middle level features guest suites with direct access to the entry courtyard.
The primary suite is softened by light pink terrazzo tile and a micro mosaic of Indian red recycled plastic tiles.
The home’s colour complements the art collection of the owners
“Color was a recurring theme in the exquisite and eclectic art collection of the owners,” studio founder Brett Terpeluk said.
“This went perfectly hand in hand with my interest in mid-century Italian design and its bold use of color.”
A series of terraces connect the home with the sloping site
“We collaborated with our friend and designer Beatrice Santiccioli to enrich the project with a dedicated and bespoke color language,” he continued.
At the lowest level, a media room, home office and kitchenette open to an abundantly landscaped garden.
The outdoor areas were designed by Terpeluk’s wife and longtime consultant, Italian landscape designer Monica Viarengo.
The terraces shift from curated gardens to wild vegetation as one moves through the property, while the plantings reference California coastal landscapes with yellow roses, espaliered fruit trees and a variety of thymes.
A guest suite connects to the central courtyard
Studio Terpeluk was founded in 2008 by Brett Terpeluk, after he finished a tenure working with Italian architect Renzo Piano.
Other Noe Valley renovations include the Gable House by Edmonds + Lee, a renovated Victorian townhouse by Fougeron Architecture and an industrial home for a tech entrepreneur by Levy Art and Architecture and Síol Studios.
To celebrate Earth Day we’ve compiled a list of 50 people who are pushing the boundaries of sustainable architecture and design.
Architects and designers have a key role to play in reducing carbon emissions, pollution and waste while protecting biodiversity.
Here are 50 individuals and studios who are doing pioneering work, ranging from architects exploring timber construction to designers thinking radically about circularity and scientists developing new low-carbon materials.
Adebayo Oke-Lawal, founder of Orange Culture
Adebayo Oke-Lawal is a Nigerian fashion designer. His label, Orange Culture, strives to minimise waste and sources 90 per cent of its supply chain in Nigeria.
He was featured in Circular Design for Fashion, a book aimed at helping the fashion industry become more circular published by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
As CEO of Swedish architecture firm White Arkitekter, Alexandra Hagen is an industry leader in the shift towards more sustainable, zero-carbon buildings.
The studio has built up an impressive portfolio of structures that go beyond net-zero to carbon negative, including the Sara Kulturhus Centre, which is the world’s second-tallest wooden tower and was featured in the UK Green Building Council’s list of 17 exemplary sustainable projects compiled for the COP26 climate summit.
White Arkitekter has pledged to design only carbon-neutral or carbon-negative buildings by 2030.
Find out more about Alexandra Hagen and White Arkitekter ›
Anab Jain and Jon Ardern, co-founders of Superflux
Anab Jain and Jon Ardern’s design and film studio Superflux was born in 2009 out of a desire to explore the intersection between the environment, technology and culture.
Their recent installation at the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, which aimed to raise awareness about climate change, featured 415 fire-damaged pine trees surrounding an oasis of living plants and water.
Last year the pair took part in the Dezeen 15 virtual festival, proposing a new framework for caring for the planet.
Find out more about Superflux ›
Andrew Waugh, co-founder of Waugh Thistleton Architects
Andrew Waugh has long been a vocal advocate for building more sustainably and has been an outspoken critic of existing UK regulations relating to environmental construction.
As part of his role in the Architects Declare pressure group, Waugh co-authored a recent report setting out ways to reduce carbon emissions associated with the built environment.
His own practice, London-based Waugh Thistleton Architects, is known for the extensive use of timber in its projects. A recent office building in London is designed to be fully demountable so it can be taken apart and its materials re-used at the end of its life.
Find out more about Andrew Waugh ›
Arthur Huang, founder of Miniwiz
Taiwanese structural engineer and architect Arthur Huang has been developing novel recycling techniques and machinery for nearly 20 years with his company Miniwiz.
After helping major brands such as Nike to create installations, packaging and other products from post-consumer waste materials, the business is now focused on democratising the recycling process and making it more easily accessible to everyday consumers.
For this purpose, Miniwiz has created a mobile recycling plant called Trashpresso, which received the World Design Impact Prize in 2021 and condenses the same recycling line that normally takes over entire industrial plants into two mobile units about the size of a refrigerator.
Find out more about Arthur Huang ›
Babette Porcelijn, designer and writer
Babette Porcelijn is a Dutch designer, author and speaker with an unusually broad range of knowledge about environmental issues and a strong belief in designers’ potential to make a difference.
She co-wrote The Hidden Impact, a book that lifts the lid on the lesser-known damage that Western economies and lifestyles continue to wreak on the planet. It contends that industrial products created with the help of designers, like mobile phones, are the biggest contributors to climate change.
Find out more about Babette Porcelijn ›
Bethany Williams, fashion designer
Bethany Williams is a fashion designer, humanitarian and artist. She graduated from Brighton University with a degree in Critical Fine Art before going on to study and receive a master’s from the London College of Fashion in Menswear.
Williams launched her eponymous brand in 2017 and has since strived to address social and environmental issues. She is best known for using and repurposing waste and scraps within her works as well as collaborating with local grassroots programs to convey how fashion and design can be inclusive.
An exhibition at the Design Museum recently opened showcasing Williams’ commitment to sustainability.
New York designer Charlotte McCurdy takes providing solutions to the problems caused by climate change as the starting point for her work.
The fashion designer uses biomaterials and carbon sequestration technology in her products such as a dress adorned with algae sequins and a raincoat made from algae bioplastic.
Find out more about Charlotte McCurdy ›
Cyrill Gutsch, founder of Parley for the Oceans
Cyrill Gutsch is a leading voice on the health of the world’s oceans and in calls for the fashion industry to tackle ocean pollution.
His company, Parley for the Oceans, was one of the first to promote the repurposing of ocean plastic, using it to make trainers, sports kits, clothing, trophies and even a floating tennis court.
In a 2020 interview with Dezeen, he warned that the circular economy “will never work with the materials we have” and requires plastic to be replaced with biofabricated substances.
Find out more about Cyrill Gutsch ›
Daniel Fernández Pascual and Alon Schwabe, Cooking Sections
Art duo Cooking Sections investigate the environmental impact of food through architecture and design. Their work includes Climavore, an ongoing project about how we can change what we eat to respond to climate change, which was initiated in 2015 and nominated for the 2021 Turner Prize.
“Food is one of the main drivers and forces that is shaping the ecology of the planet, within and around us,” Cooking Sections co-founders Daniel Fernández Pascual and Alon Schwabe explained in a recent interview with Dezeen.
The pair also created a zero-water garden in Sharjah to demonstrate how desert plants can be used as an alternative to water-hungry plants in arid cities.
Find out more about Cooking Sections ›
Daniel Mitchell, founder of Space Available
UK-born architect and designer Daniel Mitchell now lives in Bali, Indonesia, where was formerly creative director of the hospitality brand Potato Head and has since launched multidisciplinary studio Space Available.
While at Potato Head he introduced a move towards zero waste as part of embracing circular economy principles. Notable projects he worked on include the Katamama hotel, which uses local crafts and materials. In 2020, Mitchell took part in a live talk hosted by Dezeen on how art and architecture came together for the project.
Space Available consults brands on circularity and produces its design own products made from waste materials.
Darshil Shah, senior researcher at the University of Cambridge
Dr Darshil Shah is a senior researcher within the Centre for Natural Material Innovation at Cambridge University, where he works to develop new biomaterials.
He is a leading expert on low-carbon construction materials, particularly hemp, and how they can be used in different industries, including construction, transport, healthcare and wind energy.
Last summer, he told Dezeen that hemp is “more effective than trees” at sequestering carbon from the atmosphere.
Find out more about Darshil Shah ›
Edward Mazria, founder of Architecture 2030
Edward Mazria is an internationally recognised architect, author and researcher who has dedicated the past four decades of his career to advocating for sustainable architecture.
He is best known for founding the pro-bono organisation Architecture 2030, which exists to help transform the built environment from a contributor to a solution in the climate emergency. As part of Architecture 2030, he has launched initiatives such as the 2030 Challenge and addressed world leaders at events including the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
In 2021, the AIA awarded Mazria its coveted Gold Medal prize for his “unwavering voice and leadership” in the fight against climate change. Last August, he set out three steps for architects to reach zero-carbon through their work in a piece for Dezeen.
Find out more about Edward Mazria ›
Ellen MacArthur, former sailor and founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Ellen MacArthur became one of the world’s preeminent advocates for the circular economy after the former round-the-world sailor retired from yachting to launch the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2010.
Since then, the charity has partnered with some of the biggest brands in the world to accelerate the shift towards a circular economy and published a number of influential reports on plastic pollution and textile waste, alongside practical guides on how to design products and garments in a more circular way.
Eric Klarenbeek, co-founder of Studio Klarenbeek & Dros
Dutch designer Eric Klarenbeek has pioneered ways of using bioplastics made from mycelium and algae in combination with 3D printing, as an alternative to materials derived from fossil fuels.
Klarenbeek’s projects include a 3D-printed chair made out of living fungus that continues to grow, strengthening the product over time. He believes the method could eventually be used to make larger, more complex structures such as houses.
His studio, run in partnership with fellow Dutch designer Maartje Dros, was also a collaborator on a pavilion built with panels grown from mushroom mycelium.
Find out more about Eric Klarenbeek ›
Gabriela Hearst, creative director of Chloé
Born in Uruguay at her family’s remote ranch, Gabriela Hearst is a fashion designer and creative director of luxury fashion house Chloé, as well as being founder of her own eponymous label.
Hearst is best known for her forward-thinking approach to sustainability and slow-growth business ethos.
Since 2015, Hearst has committed to using deadstock fabrics, non-virgin materials and becoming plastic-free. As creative director at Chloé, Hearst was instrumental in helping the company secure a B Corp environmental certification, becoming the first luxury brand to achieve that status.
Hélène Chartier, director of urban planning and design at C40 Cities
Hélène Chartier is the director of urban planning and design for C40 Cities – a network that coordinates the decarbonisation strategies of nearly 100 of the world’s largest cities, which together make up one-quarter of the global economy.
Through projects such as the Reinventing Cities competition, she brings together architects and planners with city leaders to encourage the widespread adoption of zero-carbon building strategies.
Before joining C40, Chartier was responsible for advising visionary Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has made headlines for her approach to sustainable urban regeneration.
Find out more about Hélène Chartier ›
Photo is by Iwan Baan
Henna Burney, product designer at Atelier Luma
Henna Burney is a Columbian product designer based at Atelier Luma, a design and research laboratory in Arles, France.
She specialises in developing biomaterials and discovering new purposes for low-value materials that are often overlooked. Most recently, this saw Burney and her design partner Kalijn Sibbel create cladding made from salt, which is installed inside Frank Gehry’s tower for the Luma Foundation.
Other young designers at Atelier Luma also made biomaterial interior finishes for the Luma Foundation tower, such as algae tiles for the bathrooms and acoustic panels made from sunflower stems.
With Takt, trained physicist Henrik Taudorf Lorenson has built one of the most carbon-conscious furniture brands on the market today.
All of its products are EU Ecolabelled and made from FSC-certified wood in order to reduce their carbon footprint, which is displayed publicly on the Takt website.
The company already offsets all emissions from its products by investing in certified carbon removal projects and aims to be fully net-zero in the next 2 years.
Find out more about Takt ›
Hester van Dijk, co-founder of Overtreders W
Hester van Dijk is a co-founder and principal of Overtreders W, an Amsterdam-based spatial design studio that specialises in zero-waste architecture.
Its projects include the award-winning People’s Pavilion at the 2017 Dutch Design Week, made entirely from borrowed materials that were reused after the building was dismantled, as well as a zero-waste temporary restaurant and another reusable pavilion.
Van Dijk also founded Pretty Plastic, a startup that produces recyclable shingles from plastic waste that it claims are the first 100-per-cent-recycled cladding material.
Find out more about Overtreders W ›
Iris van Herpen, fashion designer
Known for her experimental approach to fashion, Iris van Herpen’s couture collections often focus on the qualities of water and air, with one informed by the cyclical processes of planet Earth.
As well as exploring natural biomimetic processes of the planet, many of Van Herpen’s collections are made from unusual materials such as leather alternative mycelium.
In 2020, she sat down with Dezeen for a series of three exclusive video interviews to discuss her work.
Find out more about Iris van Herpen ›
Jalila Essaïdi, CEO of Inspidere BV
Jalila Essaïdi is a Dutch artist and inventor based in Eindhoven who specialises in bio-based materials.
She is the chief executive of biotechnology company Inspidere BV and the founder of the BioArt Laboratories foundation, which provides entrepreneurs with access to biotech labs.
Among her most notable projects is a fashion collection made from recycled cow dung, which simultaneously addressed the harmful global manure surplus and the potential to turn waste into a useful material.
Find out more about Jalila Essaïdi ›
Julia Watson, designer and author
Designer and environmental activist Julia Watson is an expert in nature-based methods of dealing with the effects of climate change.
In her groundbreaking book, “Lo-Tek: Design by Radical Indigenism”, she explored how solutions to environmental issues could be found in the existing climate-resilient technologies of indigenous and traditional communities.
Watson’s eponymous studio helps find creative ways for businesses and projects to become more sustainable and symbiotic with nature.
Find out more about Julia Watson ›
Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi, co-founders of Cave Bureau
Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi are the co-founders of Cave Bureau, a Kenyan architecture and research studio focused on the relationship between buildings, infrastructure and nature.
Their work particularly tries to reconcile traditional cultures with present-day issues, such as sustainability. For Dezeen 15, Cave Bureau proposed replacing major roads in Nairobi with naturalistic “cow corridor” for Maasai people.
Find out more about Cave Bureau ›
Author Katie Treggiden
Katie Treggiden, writer and speaker
Katie Treggiden is an English writer, podcaster and speaker known for championing circular approaches to design. Her fifth, most recent book, “Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure”, explores how waste materials can be upcycled using craft techniques.
She is also the founder and director of Making Design Circular, a membership community for designers seeking to make their creations more sustainable, and a Dezeen Awards judge.
Find out more about Katie Treggiden ›
Lena Pripp-Kovac, chief sustainability officer at IKEA
Lena Pripp-Kovac is leading IKEA’s drive to become circular and climate positive by 2030, with all its products set to be made from renewable or recycled materials and able to be reused, refurbished or recycled by that date.
The giant Swedish retailer is the highest-profile corporation to have made a commitment to circularity. In a 2019 interview with Dezeen, Pripp-Kovac described the ambition as a “change of our total business”.
Find out more about IKEA ›
Liina Klauss, artist
Liina Klauss is a German artist based in Hong Kong and Bali. Klauss describes herself as an “artivist and beach curator” and creates environmentally-centred artworks and installations from waste found along the coast.
Klauss’ practice came as a result of working in the fashion industry and witnessing the effects and reality of mass production and over-consumption. Her work aims to help viewers visualise crises such as pollution and prompt discussion.
She previously collaborated with Daniel Mitchell (see above) on the Katamama hotel in Bali, celebrated for its use of local crafts and materials, and appeared alongside him on a panel for a Dezeen talk about the project.
Lucas De Man, is an actor, director and TV presenter, as well as founder and CEO of Dutch company Biobased Creations.
Biobased Creations is leading the way in using biomaterials in its installations and events spaces. Noteworthy projects by the studio include a pavilion constructed with panels grown from mushroom mycelium and a show home built using 100 different plant-based or natural materials including seaweed, vegetable fibres and sewage.
In a 2021 interview with Dezeen, De Man laid out his belief that buildings could “definitely” soon be made exclusively from plant-based products.
Find out more about Biobased Creations ›
Marco Vermeulen, founder of Studio Marco Vermeulen
Marco Vermeulen is a Dutch architect and founder of his namesake design office Studio Marco Vermeulen. Vermeulen is known for his use of timber and raw materials to create sustainable buildings as well as his research into sustainable forestry and how it can be used to form a circular approach to construction.
Studio Marco Vermeulen has created many works that address sustainability issues and demonstrate the potential of timber in architecture, including a timber pavilion for Dutch Design Week 2019 and a design for a pair of cross-laminated timber skyscrapers.
Find out more about Studio Marco Vermeulen ›
Marie and Annica Eklund, co-founders of Bolon
Sisters Marie and Annica Eklund have headed Swedish flooring company Bolon since 2003. The family firm has been recycling vinyl and textile offcuts into woven rag rugs for over 70 years, but under their stewardship it has transformed into a global brand.
Describing their company as championing circularity, the pair have invested in a vinyl recycling plant for its factory in Sweden.
In 2017, Dezeen ran an exclusive video series with the Eklund sisters exploring Bolon’s history of sustainable design and technology.
Find out more about Bolon ›
Marie Cudennec Carlisle, CEO and co-founder of Goldfinger
Marie Cudennec Carlisle accredits her affection for nature to her upbringing in rural Hong Kong. She co-founded her studio, Goldfinger, in 2017 alongside Oliver Waddington-Ball and continues to lead the firm as CEO.
Goldfinger is a social enterprise that makes furniture using only recycled wood – but rather than a “shabby chic” aesthetic it intends for its pieces to be high-end and long-lasting.
“It’s about creating beautiful objects that don’t look recycled,” Cudennec Carlisle told Dezeen in an interview. “I want someone to say, ‘I want that table’, even if they are not interested in people or planet. By buying it, they are supporting the social and environmental benefits.”
Marina Tabassum, founder of Marina Tabassum Architects
Marina Tabassum is a Bangladeshi architect who works exclusively in her home country, specialising in buildings constructed from local materials and designed to improve the lives of low-income communities.
Her Khudi Bari modular houses are an eminent example of climate-resilient architecture, able to be easily moved to escape flooding and with elevated sleeping space to avoid the water.
She was recently awarded the Soane Medeal for architecture, with the jury remarking: “All her work is underpinned by a focus on sustainability and Tabassum is truly leading the conversation about the ways in which architecture, people and planet interact.”
Find out more about Marina Tabassum ›
Marjan van Aubel, designer
Marjan van Aubel earned a place on this list through her innovative work proving the varied potential of solar power.
The young Dutch designer has developed ingenious small products like a table with a solar panel in its surface for charging gadgets, as well as large installations like the vast solar panel skylight created for the Netherlands pavilion at the 2020 Dubai Expo, intended to show that solar can be beautiful.
Van Aubel is also the co-founder of The Solar Biennale, which will take place for the first time this year in Rotterdam.
Find out more about Marjan van Aubel ›
Michael Green, founder of Michael Green Architecture
His eponymous studio designed T3, which was the largest mass timber building in the United States when it was completed in 2016. It is now working on a timber office building in New Jersey nearly twice the size of T3.
Find out more about Michael Green Architecture ›
Michael Pawlyn, co-founder of Architects Declare
Michael Pawlyn is an architect who specialises in the concepts of biomimicry and regenerative design that is beneficial for the planet, humans and other species.
He carries out much of his work with Exploration Architecture, the studio that he founded in 2007. One of its most notable projects is The Sahara Forest Project in Qatar – a seawater-cooled greenhouse that replicates the physiology of a beetle to create freshwater and grow crops within the hostile landscape.
In 2019, Pawlyn also co-initiated Architects Declare, a network of architecture studios that has pledged to help tackle the climate and biodiversity crises.
Find out more about Michael Pawlyn ›
Nick Shute and Stefan Dodds, co-founders of Dodds & Shute
Nick Shute and Stefan Dodds are co-founders of London design consultancy and procurement firm Dodds & Shute, which has a track record in convincing clients to go for sustainable options.
Together, they have made the firm a case study for positive change in the furniture industry, developing a method of calculating the carbon footprint of every Dodds & Shute project and then mitigating for this impact.
Dodds & Shute also devised and conducted an environmental audit of furniture brands, warning that the sector is “turning a blind eye” to climate issues.
A young Dutch designer who is leading in the use of biomaterials and changing perspectives on environmental problems in the textile industry, Nienke Hoogvliet founded her studio for material research and design in 2013.
Hoogvliet’s projects include bowls and tables made from waste toilet paper and a furniture collection made from seaweed and algae.
In 2019, she appeared on a panel at the Dezeen Day conference where she urged an end to the production of plastics.
Find out more about Nienke Hoogvliet ›
Nina-Marie Lister, professor of Urban & Regional Planning at Ryerson University
Nina-Marie Lister is an ecological designer and planner and an academic at Ryerson University in Toronto, where she founded the Ecological Design Lab.
In 2021, she was awarded the Margolese National Design for Living Prize for her work, which focuses on how urban landscapes can be reimagined to foster biodiversity and climate resilience as well as prioritising human wellbeing. In November, she took part in a Dezeen talk on the relationship between design and activism.
Pierre Paslier and Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, founders of Notpla
Pierre Paslier and Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez founded Notpla in 2014 while studying Innovation Design Engineering – a master’s programme run jointly by the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London.
Notpla is a shortening of “not plastic”, and it develops materials designed “to make packaging disappear”.
The Dezeen Award-nominated studio creates biodegradable substances from seaweed and plants, including edible sachets that can hold condiments and paper made with seaweed by-products.
Find out more about Notpla ›
Richard Hutten, designer
Richard Hutten is an influential designer from the Netherlands who creates furniture, products and interiors and is known for his playful, colourful style.
He is also a major proponent of circular design, warning in 2019 that brands that fail to embrace the circular economy will go out of business and describing plastic as “the cancer of our planet”.
Hutten’s recent projects include the creation of 27,000 airport chairs for Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport made entirely from recycled, recyclable or biodegradable materials, which he claimed reduced their carbon impact by 95 per cent relative to comparable products.
Find out more about Richard Hutten ›
Sarah Broadstock, architect at Studio Bark
Sarah Broadstock is one of seven architects who make up Studio Bark, a young London studio pioneering environmentally-conscious architecture.
With the studio, she has designed a biodegradable building made with cork and a modular construction system that encourages people to self-build and has been used as “protest architecture” by Extinction Rebellion.
While practising as an architect, Broadstock is also on the RIBA Guerilla Tactics steering group and is an active member of the Architects Climate Action Network.
Find out more about Studio Bark ›
Sebastian Cox, furniture designer
British furniture designer Sebastian Cox is a leader in using locally grown timber to make his products, as well as eliminating the carbon footprint of his business.
In a 2021 interview with Dezeen, he declared that his workshop is “already carbon negative by some long stretch” thanks to sourcing wood from a forest that is never cut down faster than it regenerates.
Cox has also urged designers to understand how the carbon cycle could be used as a resource to help improve sustainability.
Find out more about Sebastian Cox ›
Smith Mordak, director of sustainability at Buro Happold
As the director of sustainability at engineering firm Buro Happold and founder of award-winning architecture practices Interrobang and Studio Weave, Smith Mordak works across disciplines to decarbonise the built environment.
They engage directly with policymakers to affect broader systemic changes beyond their own projects, acting as design advocate to London mayor Sadiq Khan as well as editing the landmark Built for the Environment Report released by RIBA and Architects Declare ahead of the COP 26 climate conference last year.
In their personal life, Mordak declared themselves carbon neutral in 2020 after slashing their footprint by giving up air travel and becoming vegan.
Find out more about Smith Mordak ›
Sophie Thomas, partner at Thomas.Matthews
Sophie Thomas is a British designer and environmentalist, who co-founded the London sustainable communication-design studio Thomas.Matthews.
Through various projects and initiatives, such as The Great Recovery, a pioneering project that explored the circular potential of different materials, Thomas has become a leading voice in the discussion about how organisations can reduce their carbon impacts and the role for designers.
She previously wrote a list of 10 steps for designers seeking to reduce the emissions caused by their products for Dezeen, as well as auditing the carbon impact of our Dezeen Day conference in 2019.
Find out more about Sophie Thomas ›
Stefano Boeri, founder of Stefano Boeri Architetti
Stefano Boeri is an Italian architect known for spearheading Vertical Forests – a building concept where the facades of towers are covered with plants to encourage biodiversity in urban areas.
Boeri has masterminded Vertical Forests all over the world, including Antwerp’s Palazzo Verde, a social housing tower with 10,000 plants in Eindhoven and an apartment complex in China.
The architect is also responsible for Milan’s Forestami project, which plans to plant “one tree for every inhabitant” in the city, and has recently authored a book called “Green Obsession: Trees Towards Cities, Humans Towards Forests”, launched with a talk for Dezeen.
Find out more about Stefano Boeri ›
Stella McCartney, fashion designer
Stella McCartney is a British fashion designer and founder of her eponymous luxury fashion house, which centres on sustainable design and an ethical approach to fashion.
Under McCartney’s direction the house has pioneered use of sustainable material alternatives, developing clothing from mycelium and a vegan, spiderweb-like silk. In 2021, McCartney joined world leaders as the fashion industry’s representative at the G7 summit.
In a 2018 interview with Dezeen, she called for “new laws on designers” to force them to take responsibility for the sustainability of their products.
Find out more about Stella McCartney ›
Sumayya Vally, founder of Counterspace
Sumayya Vally is a South African architect whose work as the head of the Johannesburg-based studio Counterspace is strongly focused on supporting communities and explores issues such as education, migration and ethnicity as well as sustainability.
Counterspace designed last year’s Serpentine Pavilion out of timber and other biomaterials. Construction consultant AECOM declared the structure carbon negative, claiming it removed 31 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere.
Find out more about Sumayya Vally ›
Photo is by Jaap Vork
Thomas Rau, founder of RAU Architects
Through his Amsterdam-based studio RAU Architects, Thomas Rau is an industry leader in reversible architecture. This involves designing buildings to be taken apart at the end of their lives so their materials can be reused.
Examples include an office building for Triodos Bank with a timber structure that the practice claims is “the first large-scale 100 per cent wooden, remountable office building”.
Find out more about RAU Architects ›
Valdís Steinarsdóttir, designer
Independent Icelandic designer Valdís Steinarsdóttir creates provocative products intended to show how recycled organic materials could replace synthetics to reduce waste and emissions.
Her projects include vest tops made from moulded jelly and dissolvable food packaging crafted from animal skin taken as meat industry by-products.
Find out more about Valdís Steinarsdóttir ›
Yasmeen Lari, architect and founder of the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan
After abandoning a career designing glitzy commercial buildings, architect Yasmeen Lari has devoted her life to creating socially and environmentally sustainable architecture that benefits disadvantaged people.
She is also the founder of the non-profit organisation Heritage Foundation of Pakistan, through which she has built thousands of low-cost homes with low-carbon materials.
In her contribution to Dezeen 15, Lari, who was the first Pakistani woman to qualify as an architect, explained her philosophy of “barefoot social architecture”, which treads lightly on the planet by prioritising traditional construction techniques and materials such as mud and bamboo.
Find out more about Yasmeen Lari ›
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British architecture studio Foster + Partners has completed two skyscrapers for drone manufacturer DJI in Shenzhen called DJI Sky City, which are connected by an open-air suspension bridge over 100 meters above the ground.
DJI Sky City consists of a pair of 200-metre-high skyscrapers that house the headquarters and innovation centre of Shenzhen-based robotics company and drone specialists DJI.
DJI Sky City was designed by Foster + Partners
The two skyscrapers are connected by a 90-meter-long suspension bridge, which is located over halfway up the structure, 105 metres above the ground.
The bridge will be attached to each of the towers vertically slatted cores, which both support a series of steel truss-encased, glass volumes that were stacked and cantilevered on top of one another at varying heights.
It is comprised of two towers which are connected by a suspension bridge
The cantilevered blocks contain column-free office spaces that were made possible by the building’s external truss systems. Some of the column-free interior spaces contain four-storey high dedicated drone flight testing labs.
The ground floor houses the building’s public facilities, including a community healthcare centre, as well as its lobbies that each contain an indoor “zen” garden that extends from a rammed earth feature wall.
“Drone technology has changed the way we experience the world around us while pushing the boundaries of aerial possibilities,” said Foster + Partners.
“We have enjoyed using DJI products for more than a decade,” the studio added. “We are delighted to have partnered with DJI in creating their new headquarters in Shenzhen, which will be the company’s premier center of research and innovation.”
The bridge is 105 metres above the ground
According to the studio the floorplates were organised to maximise daylight in the interior spaces while its twin lift system maximises internal office floor area.
At the top of the buildings each of the cantilevered volumes has a rooftop gardens with views across Shenzhen as outdoor spaces for DJI employees.
The skyscrapers contain four-storey drone flight labs
Renders and a fly-through video of the building were first unveiled in 2018, detailing its vast drone and robotic testing facilities.
Earlier this year in Shenzhen, architecture firm SOM completed its headquarters for Shenzhen’s Rural Commercial Bank, which featured a steel lattice facade that resembles an exoskeleton.
An exhibition of hand-crafted art and design pieces, including a seminal sculpture by Charles and Ray Eames, is on display at the former New Jersey home of 20th-century landscape architect James Rose.
At the Rose House is on show at the Ridgewood home that the late American modernist landscape architect designed and hand-built for himself and his family in 1953 and lived in for almost 40 years.
Pieces in the exhibition are displayed throughout the home as if they belong there
Organised by curatorial platform Object & Thing and furniture and interior design studio Green River Project LLC, the exhibition stemmed from Rose’s appreciation for craft and materials.
The show “emphasises the hand-made, beauty in nature and a sense of timelessness” according to the curators.
Rose self-designed and hand-built the house, which features several Japanese design elements
Green River Project LLC founders Aaron Aujla and Benjamin Bloomstein, who have admired the landscape architect for some time, have produced a series of new designs based on his work.
Created in collaboration with a group of designers, these pieces include a side chair by both Bloomstein Industrial and Luck Carpentry, rice paper lamps from Preziosi Lighting and carved grooming items on shelves in the bathroom by Teague’s Path.
Artworks and designs were selected to reflect Rose’s appreciation for craft and materials
“The ease in which Rose expanded the home using ready-made materials was an early point of reference for our practice,” said Aujla.
“In particular, there is a kitchen with mahogany shelves and pegboard that we must have spent over 100 hours dissecting and referring back to over the last five years.”
Green River Project’s products are presented alongside the work of mid-century and contemporary designers, including Alvaro Barrington, Bode, Charles and Ray Eames, Louis Eisner, Hugh Hayden, Nancy Holt, Kiva Motnyk, Michele Oka Doner, Johnny Ortiz-Concha and Anne Truitt among others.
Clothing based on Rose’s personal style is hung in closets
The works are installed as if they belong in the rooms and garden, which – like many of Rose’s later projects – feature elements of Japanese design, including the exposed timber structure and shoji screens.
“[Rose] spent considerable amounts of time in Japan and became a Zen Buddhist,” said the curators. “This influence is evident in the Ridgewood house, especially on the upper floor, which contains a room for his daily mediation practice that The James Rose Center is currently restoring.”
An edition of the 1943 Plywood Sculpture by Charles and Ray Eames is being presented in the US for the first time. Photo by Michael Biondo
Pieces on display include the Eames’ seminal 1943 Plywood Sculpture – the first time that this edition, which was made and released by Eames Office, is being presented in the US.
Among the designs created for the showcase are leather Adirondack chairs by Hugh Hayden, wood-fired micaceous pots by Johnny Ortiz-Concha and naturally-dyed framed textile works by Kiva Motnyk.
A selection of clothing by New York brand Bode, based on Rose’s “eccentric” personal style, is hung in the closets throughout the house.
Landscape paintings, rice paper drawings, flower vases, terracotta sculptures, and a screening of Nancy Holt’s 1975 film Pine Barrens that “portrays the New Jersey wilderness” also feature.
The house in Ridgewood, New Jersey, is preserved by The James Rose Center. Photo by Michael Biondo
Green River Project LLC is also producing new editions of one of Rose’s lanterns to coincide with this exhibition.
These will be sold to benefit The James Rose Center – a non-profit landscape research and study foundation, which is based at the house and has preserved Rose’s legacy since his death in 1991.
The exhibition, curated by Object & Thing and Green River Project LLC, runs until 2 October 2022. Photo by Michael Biondo
“Rose was an impossible maverick, called by one author, ‘The James Dean of Landscape Architecture,’ but I think he would be very happy with the vision Green River Project LLC and Object & Thing have brought to his house,” said foundation director Dean Cardasis.
At the Rose House runs until 2 October 2022. This is the latest in a series of exhibitions organised by Object & Thing within the homes of notable 20th-century artists and architects, following presentations at the houses of Gerald Luss, Robert Dash and Eliot Noyes.
Other exhibitions that showcase the work of modernist designers include an exhibition of Le Corbusier’s tapestries in Manhattan.
See our Dezeen Events Guide for information about other exhibitions, installations and talks.
This private Hamptons residence was designed as an immersive retreat. Situated along a natural ravine and protected wetlands, the residence consists of three simple gable-shaped volumes, creating a dialogue between the natural grasslands and the built environment. A contemporary interpretation of a common New England building form, each volume is shrouded in horizontal wood slats which seamlessly wrap all wall and roof surfaces. A public great room is centrally located, acting as a social hub for family and guest interaction. Within the great room, special attention was taken to the design of the architectural concrete fireplace, countertops and black steel sash windows.
This retreat was conceived as a place for gathering family and friends as well as solitude. Located along the crest of a narrow ridge overlooking a broad valley, the drive that connects to the home turns to reveal a long, linear core of sawn stone that parallels the ridge, sliding under a single-slope roof through a steel-framed glass volume. The stone core, marked by two large fireplace masses, organizes the spaces, with primary circulation along its south face, while gaps in the stone provide access to each of the living spaces. In turn, clear and translucent glass along the south wall creates a play of light and shadow at the circulation spine.
Designed as a beach house within the forest, this home creates a connection between the drama of the nearby ocean and the sense of sanctuary provided by the trees. Composed primarily of one large room, the house is light-filled on the south side facing the ocean, while remaining insular and protected on the other side. Glass walls open the living area to panoramic views of forest and ocean with two fireplaces on either end anchor that the space and provide a feeling of refuge. Artworks were incorporated into the design of the home, with the fireplace walls specially designed to fit paintings by Sam Francis and Diego Singh.
This suburban pavilion is located adjacent to woodlands. A contemporary house surrounded by mature trees and manicured gardens anchors the site. A new swimming pool, stone walls and terraces located behind the existing house organize the rear yard and establishes a dialogue between the existing house and a new pavilion. New paths, trees and structured plantings reinforce the geometry. The new pavilion, intended for year round use, is strategically located to provide a threshold between the structured landscape and adjacent woodland. The doors pivot to open the space much of the year while a large Rumford fireplace and heated floors provide a cozy counterpoint in winter months.
This small residence is sited on the banks of the White River five miles from Mt. Rainier. The project was designed to quietly blend into the surrounding forest. An entry courtyard serves as a transition space from outdoors to indoors and keeps the ubiquitous elk herds at bay. A steel-clad fireplace mass separates the living room from a covered outdoor patio. By working diligently with the client (who also served as General Contractor for the project), the building footprint was kept as compact as possible to minimize site disturbance. The residence was made to epitomize the small home living movement.
The heart of a dilapidated brick corner house from 1929 was completely renovated and extended, incorporating an inviting sitting pit. The clients asked for more space, an open kitchen and a more direct relationship to the garden. The sitting pit forms a playful space around the fireplace, where the owners are able to stay together with each other, friends and family. Seen at eye level from the seating pit, there is a vertically sliding window on the street side. By sliding this open as well as the large sliding doors at the rear, visitors find themselves outside in a sitting pit, at a fireplace and under a roof. The fireplace sits in a solid block that, together with a thick wall on the other side and a wall parallel to the seating pit, supports the roof.
This residential cabin project is located in Krokskogen forests, outside the town of Hønefoss. The site is very exposed to the wind and the cabin is shaped to create several outdoors spaces that provide shelter from the wind and sun at different times of day. The interior is a continuous space finished in a thin layer of curved birch plywood. The fireplace is located at the center of the cabin. The fireplace mantel is hanging from the ceiling, while the fire is down at the floor of the access level. This provides the feeling of a campfire in the landscape that can be seen from different places.
