Paper made from fallen leaves
Spotted: The global e-commerce packaging market is expected to reach a total market value of almost $100 billion (around €92 billion) by 2027, a huge increase from the 2020 value of $35 billion (around €32 billion). Many retailers recognise the high environmental costs such a volume of packaging incurs and are actively seeking recyclable, reusable, and compostable alternatives.
Paper is often considered a better option than plastic, yet some innovators are seeking ways to avoid deforestation by finding alternative sources of cellulose. One of the most successful so far is Valentyn Frechka and his company, Releaf. As a young student in Ukraine, Frechka spent years studying cellulose to find an alternative way of making paper. After testing fallen leaves, he began working on the technology that is now the base for Releaf, an international distributor of paper and paper packaging.
Releaf paper is made exclusively from collected biowaste and recycled fibre. The new manufacturing process uses 15 times less water than traditional paper production and reduces carbon emissions by 78 per cent. Much of the feedstock for the company’s products comes from urban street cleaning teams.
After collection, the leaves are cleaned, dried, and then turned into granules for long-term storage. The granules are stable, allowing the company to keep raw materials on hand for steady production cycles. Releaf produces paper ranging in weight from 70 to 300 grammes per square metre, along with a range of wrapping papers, bags, and e-commerce envelopes. Not only does the Releaf process relieve pressure on the world’s forests – it also helps city governments sustainably dispose of biowaste that would otherwise clog street drains and sewage pipes.
Other paper innovations Springwise has spotted recently include a single-use paper cup with integrated lid and a recyclable paper-based alternative to plastic bubble wrap.
Written By: Keely Khoury
The façade design of the residential buildings at the Masdar Institute offers a modern interpretation of Al Mashrabiya, which is a traditional Islamic architecture element where turned wood is used to produce latticed patterns adorning oriel windows facing that face the streets, for shading and privacy. For materials, the façades are constructed out of sustainably developed glass-reinforced concrete and colored with local desert sand to integrate the building with the context, with the buildings being completely powered by solar energy. Through an alternation of the façade elements between recession and protrusion and proper building orientation, the building is not only self-shading but is also sheltering of the neighboring buildings and the pedestrians at street level.
Built on the land of the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community (SRP-MIC) in Arizona, the building rose from the ground holding traces of the native saguaro cactus, in a notion that celebrates the indigenous community’s connection to their land. Technically speaking, the façade design utilized imbedding saguaro ribs into concrete tilt panels, organized into the formwork during construction and protected against concrete by pouring sand into the ribs.
For design of the new Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design in Kigali, the architectural team drew inspiration from the surrounding landscape and topography, reflected on the thirteen distinctively shaped prism volumes that house the classrooms and design studios. The façade design further emphasized the distinctiveness of the prism shapes, alternating in materials between the local lava rocks and rammed earth on the exterior side of the prisms and a striking orange color on the interior sides.
The music that plays inside the new Coil School for the Arts could be seen reflected on the façade design of the main elevation, constructed out of phenolic wood panels that evoke the craftsmanship of wooden music instruments, with a pattern that is inspired by the sheet music notations. In response to the desert climate of the area and the building program’s acoustical requirements, heavy concrete grouted masonry was used as the main construction material of the LEED Silver certified building, with openings kept minimum on the building’s exterior and the building mass pushed back at street level to create a sheltered outdoor lobby where visitors can gather. On the southeast façade, an intimate courtyard is designed for students for gatherings and informal concerts, shaded with a trellised structure that filters out the noise from the street and the harshness of the sun.
The library’s design team aspired to establish a new civic and cultural hub on the northwest corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Winter Park, Florida. The library was made to embody the values of the park’s namesake as a space for community empowerment. Seven years in the making, the project spans 50,000 square feet across a trio of canted pavilions.
Arches establish the form of the pavilions, where compound, convex exterior walls are made with a series of scalloping, frond-like patterns. The volumes of the library, events center, and porte cochère come very close to touching. Hoping to draw light deep into the new library, the team created the angled exterior walls that lean outward as they rise from the base.
For the precast façade, it was determined that concrete was the only cladding material that could achieve the quality and durability needed for the exterior walls. The texture, color, aggregates and concrete matrix were carefully selected for aesthetics, durability and low maintenance. The curved walls are realized with back-up framing made up of structural steel.
In turn, a series of sloping, arched curtainwalls in the enclosed buildings meet the curved, solid surfaces. The architects mirrored the concrete edge to create continuous seating along the curtain wall. Shallow foundations are used to support the building loads, while the elevated floor and roof are framed using structural steel beams and girders.
The site’s physical constraints required efficient use of space for the buildings, the belvedere and parking. The team worked with 
The library has become a place where the entire community can interact, learn and gather. Inside, open spaces are framed by four timber-lined cores that contain Winter Park’s historical and archival collection spaces, support zones, and private reading rooms. Designing with the community in mind, the event center was made with a flexible auditorium space and a rooftop terrace that offers views of the lakeside park setting.
