Bespoke scalloped edges and a Verner Panton S-Chair feature at the Pops holiday apartment in Kraków, which Furora Studio designed to be more playful than a permanent home.
Named Pops after lollipops, the dwelling was conceived by Diana Żurek and Gutek Girek of Polish firm Furora Studio.
“The project is a temporary apartment for anyone who wants to spend time in an attractive and very sugary interior,” said the designers.
Pops is a holiday apartment in central Kraków
Spread across one level of a multi-storey building in central Kraków, the rental home includes an open-plan kitchen and living room.
This space was dressed with a velvety salmon-pink curtain, which stretches the length of one of two of the walls, and a central display cabinet finished in pistachio green and “crowned with frills”.
Furniture including a decorative display cabinet was custom-made by Furora Studio
Much of the furniture and other design elements were custom-made by Furora Studio and follow the same toy-like geometry as the cabinet – a combination of round and wavy motifs created in pastel pinks, greens and creams.
For example, a white and turquoise pendant light with scalloped edges was suspended above a circular dining table, while a ribbed half-moon alcove was created as a backdrop for the wall-mounted television.
Pastel hues define the apartment
“First and foremost, we aimed to find suitable forms,” said Żurek, describing the studio’s starting point for the project.
“Most of the elements were custom-made because we wanted to maintain the coherence of the interior while ensuring proper functional arrangement,” she told Dezeen.
“Essentially, each element was its own small project. The selection of shapes, milling, small details, and perfecting the form – all of these were important considerations.”
A ribbed, half-moon alcove was created as a backdrop for the television
An olive-hued, L-shaped sofa was tucked into one corner of the living space and echoed by the kitchen splashback, finished in the same green colour.
Żurek described the apartment’s double bedroom as “a pink box with a whimsical headboard and an abundance of pillows”.
Designer Diana Żurek described the bedroom as “a pink box”
In one corner, a light green built-in desk was positioned in front of a sculptural Verner Panton chair.
The iconic S-shaped seating was originally designed by Panton in the early 1960s and recently influenced the furniture created for the Dreamhouse at the centre of the set design in this year’s Barbie film.
“We rarely have the opportunity to be in interiors that evoke memories of earlier years, when as children, we had few responsibilities and sought joy and playfulness,” noted Żurek.
“But this is not about returning to preschool or infantilising the space,” stressed the designer.
“It’s about positive energy. We sought solutions that would more literally create a colorful space, full of rounded patterns, light colours and a sense of relief,” she added.
The studio added a Verner Panton chair to the apartment
The bathroom is also awash with pattern, featuring a jumbo scalloped-edged cabinet and pink and brown terrazzo tiles.
Bulbous pendant lighting illuminates the space, which contains a walk-in shower.
Summarising the holiday apartment, Żurek called it a place to “have fun and cuddle”.
“Certainly, there are many enthusiasts of such candy-like solutions, but this interior may not be for everyone, especially for long-term use, such as in the case of a private home,” reflected the designer.
“For short-term rentals, I believe most people would be tempted to experience how it feels to be in such a vibrant interior,” she added.
“These projects allow for the use of [design] solutions that might be somewhat tiring on a daily basis, but spending a brief moment in such a place opens us up to new experiences, feelings of peace and relaxation.”
A jumbo scalloped-edged cabinet features in the bathroom
Elsewhere in Kraków, London-based office Studio Mills transformed an apartment at a converted monastery into a family home. Polish practice Projekt Praga created a bar with a self-service beer fountain within the taproom of a centuries-old brewery just outside of the city.
Sportswear brand Puma has said it is a step closer to launching a truly biodegradable shoe, following a trial in which a specially made version of its Suede sneakers decomposed under strict conditions.
In the Re:Suede experiment, 500 shoes were sent out to testers for six months of wear. Of those shoes, 412 were returned to Puma and sent to an industrial composting facility in The Netherlands, where they were mixed with other green waste and left to biodegrade.
After around three and a half months, a large proportion of the leather trainer had broken down sufficiently to be sold in The Netherlands as Grade A compost – a high-quality compost typically used on gardens and landscapes.
Slowing things down was the sole, which in the Re:Suedes was made of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE-E), a type of rubber. It took longer than the other components to break down into small enough pieces to be classified as compost, around six months.
The Re:Suede shoe was designed with biodegradable materials
Puma is calling the Re:Suede experiment “successful” – with caveats. The longer timeframe required for the soles to break down is a deviation from standard operating procedures for industrial composting, so the shoes could not just be thrown into a household food waste collection.
However, Puma is hoping to launch a commercial version of the sneaker next year, incorporating a takeback scheme that would see it compost the shoe using its tailor-made process.
“While the Re:Suede could not be processed under the standard operating procedures for industrial composting, the shoes did eventually turn into compost,” said Puma chief sourcing officer Anne-Laure Descours.
“We will continue to innovate with our partners to determine the infrastructure and technologies needed to make the process viable for a commercial version of the Re:Suede, including a takeback scheme, in 2024.”
Its leather upper was found to decompose under industrial composting conditions
In a report of the experiment’s findings, Puma said it would pursue a “new business model in composting” that could support the decomposition of the shoe.
“The soles slow the process down, resulting in more composting cycles required to turn the shoe into Grade A compost, meaning they can’t be processed using today’s standard industrial composting operating procedures,” said the report.
“But with a new business model in composting and a higher volume of input into it, those standard operating procedures can change,” the report concluded. “There is a future for Re:Suede. To get there, we need more scale.”
Puma’s Re:Suede shoe is made of Zeology suede, which is tanned using a process based on zeolite minerals and free of chrome, aldehyde and heavy metals. Padding and laces are made of hemp, while the lining is made of a hemp-cotton blend.
For the composting process, Puma partnered with Dutch waste company Ortessa. The procedure involved shredding the shoe and placing the pieces into a composting tunnel – a unit where the temperature, humidity and oxygen levels are kept at optimal levels for bacteria to break down organic matter.
For the decomposing shoe granules to be considered small enough for compost, they had to be under 10 millimetres in size.
Those granules were periodically filtered out and sold as compost in The Netherlands.
The leftover pieces, 10 to 40 millimetres in size, became part of the “compost starter mix” and were combined with more green waste to continue decomposing. Ortessa estimated that the full shoe was turned into compost within approximately six months.
The rubber outsole took longer to break down into compost
Re:Suede is Puma’s second attempt at launching a compostable shoe, with the first coming over a decade ago in the form of 2012’s InCycle collection.
Its Basket sneaker, which Puma said was fully compostable through industrial composting, was made of organic cotton and linen with a sole composed of a biodegradable plastic called APINATbio. The range was discontinued in 2014 and its failure blamed on poor consumer demand.
While several shoe designs have been marketed as biodegradable in recent years, the strict conditions required for them to actually break down are often not specified or the infrastructure not available. This can be seen as a kind of greenwashing.
Brands that have launched footwear described as biodegradable include Bottega Veneta with its sugarcane and coffee boots and Adidas with the uppers of its Futurecraft trainers.
A more experimental composition came from German designer Emilie Burfeind, whose compostable sneakers are made with a mushroom mycelium sole and a canine hair upper.
Too much talking, not enough action – Alessandro Armillotta, CEO of the sustainability app AWorld, is heading to COP28 with a clear message. He believes that an ‘intention-behaviour gap’ in society is stalling progress on net-zero goals, but with a bit of tech-enabled encouragement on a personal or professional level, we can all make a difference through everyday actions.
Choose public transport when you can, air dry your laundry, eat a vegetarian meal once a week… There is a host of small actions we could take that would contribute to a lower carbon footprint if we did them consistently, but not enough people are doing them. A recent study by the American Psychological Association, for example, showed that 7 in 10 Americans wish they could do more about climate change, but over half do not know where to start, citing time, money, and skills as blockers.
“We live as though our resources are infinite because we fail to see the impact of our daily actions and sustainability feels complicated,” says Alessandro. “My focus is to try and close the ‘intention-behaviour gap’ – the discrepancy between what consumers say and what they actually do.”
He doesn’t blame people. “Today’s culture doesn’t incentivise living sustainably,” he says. “At COP28, I will have meetings with an ecosystem of people and partners. It will be a privilege to be there, but it’s just talking. As soon as we get back home and go out onto the street no one has a clue. Governments can make pledges, but wider cultural change will take too long and we don’t have time. I am going back to the idea of working on ourselves first if we want to see change. I think it comes down to individual action.”
The AWorld app, a partner to the United Nation’s ActNow campaign and the European Commision’s Climate Pact Initiative, is a guide for people who want to reduce their carbon footprint. A user can build their own set of easy-to-achieve tasks and goals (such as turning off lights or choosing clothes made from recycled fabrics), log when they’ve done them, and then see the positive impact of their choices through the amount of carbon, litres of water, and kilowatts of electricity saved. From December 2023, the app will include mobility data and automatically calculate the carbon footprint of journeys depending on the mode of transport, without the user having to input anything manually. Future features will include calculations around how actions can positively or negatively impact energy bills.
“I feel it is our responsibility at AWorld to build a path with technology that gently nudges users and rewards them.” Key to this strategy is working with large businesses and corporates, who can leverage the AWorld app to encourage behaviour change in employees and consumers, which, in turn, can help them reach their own net-zero goals. Capgemini, Cognizant, and Blackrock are some of the companies currently using AWorld to empower their stakeholders to make positive changes.
“We have built out our experience based on what we understand about motivations. There are people who will make changes because it makes them feel good, they want to fit into a community of like-minded people, they want to compete, or they want to be rewarded.” The app caters to these motivations through gamification and a regular stream of content sharing big-picture context. “It needs to feel ‘normal’,” Alessandro says, “not like you are doing something sustainable that requires loads of inputs.”
Once COP28 is over, Alessandro will be back in his native Italy to launch a citizen engagement campaign in Umbria, with campaigns in other regions such as Marche, Lombardy, and Lazio, on the horizon. It’s an exhausting schedule but Alessandro is all about action. “We all need to be active,” he says. “There are no passengers on Planet Earth, we are all crew.”
Disccover the AWorld app in the App Store or Google Play. Find out more about employee engagement via AWorld at aworld.org
All 50 Dezeen Awards 2023 winners have been announced at this evening’s ceremony in central London.
The winners were revealed at a party at Shoreditch Electric Light Station attended by shortlisted studios along with Dezeen Awards judges past and present including Nelly Ben Hayoun, Omar Gandhi, Patricia Urquiola, Sumayya Vally and LionHeart.
All Dezeen Awards 2023 winners revealed
The winning projects have been selected from more than 4,800 entries from 94 countries. The 39 project category winners were shortlisted for the architecture, interiors, design and sustainability project of the year awards. These projects went head to head to win the overall project of the year awards.
The six Designers of the Year and the inaugural Bentley Lighthouse Award winner were also announced at the ceremony.
View the winners on the Dezeen Awards website or read below:
Simba Vision Montessori School in Tanzania was named architecture project of the year. Photo by Nadia Christ
Architecture
Simba Vision Montessori School by Architectural Pioneering Consultants won the prestigious architecture project of the year award, sponsored by Material Bank. It was also named education project of the year.
The judges said: “This exemplary building manages to do the most with the least. A truly sustainable project with a very limited budget, the building provides a much-needed educational space for the local community that is responsive to people, place and purpose.”
The winning Montessori school with tactile qualities was up against projects that included a linear park with an elevated walkway in Mexico City, a copper-clad shelter constructed from bamboo in Bali and a timber-lined community centre made from salvaged local wood in east London.
Read more about Simba Vision Montessori School and the architecture winners ›
A restaurant in a former mechanic’s workshop in Guadalajara won interior project of the year. Photo by Gillian Garcia
Interiors
Restaurant Xokol in Guadalajara by studios Ruben Valdez Practice and ODAmx was named interior project of the year, sponsored by Moroso. It also won restaurant and bar interior of the year.
“Xokol understands the place where it lives and the importance of designing in a specific way for a specific location,” commended the judges. “The result of this understanding is deep and poetic.”
A palazzo with circular elements in Rome, a retail space defined by curved resin walls in the Art Gallery of New South Wales and an exhibition with shrink-wrapped blocks as scenography in Hanover were a few of the projects competing with the Mexican cross-cultural dining space.
Read more about Xokol and the interiors winners ›
Design project of the year was awarded to designer Yves Behar for his bionic leg wrap
Design
The Cionic Neural Sleeve by Yves Behar’s Fuseproject and neuro tech startup Cionic was crowned design project of the year, sponsored by Solus Ceramics and Mirage Spa. It was also awarded product design (health and wellbeing) project of the year.
“For the millions of people suffering from muscular degenerative diseases or injury, this product has the greatest potential to improve the user’s ability to walk and therefore their quality of life,” said the master jury.
Projects vying with the winning bionic leg wrap included sunglasses that have adaptive focus lenses, a climate-change calculator that makes use of real-world data and a minimalist log-like perch designed for active waiting.
Read more about Cionic Neural Sleeve and the design winners ›
The latest phase of the redevelopment of Park Hill estate in Sheffield was crowned sustainable project of the year
Sustainability
London architecture studio Mikhail Riches won sustainable project of the year, sponsored by Brookfield Properties. Park Hill Phase 2 was also named sustainable renovation of the year.
The judges said: “Mikhail Riches has taken the ruin of a concrete post-war mass housing project, which was an iconic building of its time, and shown how to care for its legacy while giving it dignity.”
Other contenders for sustainability project of the year included an affordable housing block with pigmented precast concrete panels, a whiskey bar decked with oak from discarded distillery barrels and a chipless, paper-only version of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.
Read more about Park Hill Phase 2 and the sustainability winners ›
Photo by Måns Berg
Designers of the Year
Scandinavian practice White Arkitekter took home the architect of the year award and Sumayya Vally of Counterspace Studio was named emerging architect of the year.
Interior designer of the year was awarded to Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola and emerging interior designer of the year was awarded to Paris-based studio Uchronia.
London design duo Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd won designer of the year for their practice Pearson Lloyd and Parisian Audrey Large was named emerging designer of the year.
Read more about the Designers of the Year winners ›
Bentley Lighthouse Award
Natural Material Studio founder Bonnie Hvillum has been named the first winner of the prestigious Bentley Lighthouse Award.
The inaugural award recognises designers who are curious and courageous in their approach, and whose work has had a beneficial impact on social and environmental sustainability, inclusivity or community empowerment.
“The whole oeuvre is impressive and beautiful and demonstrates the path that our industry needs to take towards bio-based research, creating greater material diversity whether by repurposing waste or growing new materials,” lauded the master jury.
Read more about the Bentley Lighthouse Award winner Bonnie Hvillum ›
Dezeen Awards 2023
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.
An old roadside motel on America’s iconic Route 66 has been renovated by San Francisco-based Adean Studios to reflect the culture and enviromnent of Flagstaff, Arizona.
Dark blue walls and amber lighting set the tone inside the High Country Motor Lodge lobby lounge
The mid-century property is accessed directly off the historic, cross-country Route 66 highway that runs through Flagstaff – the city that provides a base for visitors to the Grand Canyon, the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort and miles of hiking trails through the surrounding wilderness.
Almost 7,000 feet (2,100 metres) above sea level, the city is also home to the Lowell Observatory where Pluto was discovered in 1930.
The hotel was renovated by Adean Studios to reflect the landscape and history of Flagstaff
All of these elements were combined as influences for the hotel’s design, which lands somewhere between a mountain lodge and a retro motel.
“Our goal was to incorporate the rich astronomical history of Flagstaff, while also creating an environment that blends elements of a retro 1960s lounge with modern mountain design,” said Adean Studios principal Alexa Nafisi-Movaghar. “The entire property showcases a darker colour palette accented with rustic woods and 1960s-inspired fixtures and furnishings.”
Guest room interiors are a cross between mountain cabins and retro motel rooms
Painted midnight blue, the hotel buildings form a U shape around a central lawn and a large swimming pool, which was also renovated as part of the project.
The lobby, restaurant and other public areas face the highway, while the majority of guest rooms are located in perpendicular two-storey blocks behind.
Low furniture and cassette players add to the nostalgic atmosphere
On the west side of the site, three new shingle-clad cabins were constructed to house larger suites, bringing the total number of keys to 123.
The dark facade colours continue inside the lobby, lounge and bar areas, where a variety of seating types and configurations allow guests to dine or relax as they choose.
Dark green and blue hues throughout the property nod to the forested surroundings and night sky
Amber-hued glass light fixtures emit a soft, warm glow in these spaces, while velvet curtains and blankets were included.
The bar and lounge opens onto a stepped outdoor terrace, where more dining tables and low chairs are arranged around a series of fire pits.
The property is arranged around a central lawn, which public events are held, and a large renovated swimming pool
A general store off the reception area sells a curated selection of snacks, merchandise and other locally sourced gifts.
In the guest rooms, navy blue wainscoting wraps the lower portion of off-white walls, and dark wood floors and low furniture add to the mid-century aesthetic.
Three shingle-clad cabins that house suites were built as part of the project
Each is equipped with a cassette player and a set of three tapes, which play tracks that evoke nostalgia for the road trip era.
High Country Motor Lodge also boasts a Nordic spa, comprising two private wood-lined saunas that guests can reserve for one-hour sessions.
These cabins are accessed from an enclosed courtyard with an outdoor shower and fire pits, and have direct access to the hot tub for further relaxation, or the swimming pool for a cold plunge.
“Inspired by the local lifestyle of adventure-seekers, day-sleepers, and night-watchers, the great lawn, private cottages, and the Nordic Spa have been designed to enhance the outdoor experience, constantly reminding guests of the beautiful nature that surrounds,” Nafisi-Movaghar said.
The hotel has a Nordic spa that guests can book for private experiences. Photo by Landon Kroeger
The hotel’s branding was created by Charleston-based SDCO Partners, and also plays up the retro and astronomy themes.
“Nestled between the Grand Canyon and Barringer Crater, the High Country Motor Lodge is at once both celestial and earthly, and the brand design honors both,” said creative director and founding partner Amy Pastre.
The sauna cabins are located close to the hot tub. Photo by Landon Kroeger
“An eclectic family of hand-rendered typographic and illustrative graphic elements celebrate the motor lodge’s vintage style, contemporary design, and the love of high desert adventure.”
A range of public programming is organised at the location throughout the year, including theatrical performances, and a folk music festival in the fall.
The private saunas can be reserved for an hour. Photo by Landon Kroeger
Many former motels and motor lodges across the US have been bought up and renovated into boutique accommodations over the past decade.
From Hotel Joaquin in Laguna Beach and The Drifter in New Orleans, to Scribner’s in New York’s Catskills Mountains and Tourists in the Berkshires, these hotels are often designed with a location-specific twist.
The photography is by Werner Segarra, unless stated otherwise.
Dutch company Human Material Loop is using an unusual waste source to make a zero-carbon wool alternative that requires no land or water use: human hair.
Human Material Loop works with participating hairdressers to collect hair cuttings, which it processes into yarns and textiles and sometimes turns into garments.
Founder and CEO Zsofia Kollar was initially interested in human hair from what she describes as a “cultural and sociological” perspective before she began exploring its material properties.
Human Material Loop turns human hair into yarn and textile for products. Photo courtesy of Schwarzkopf Professional
“Delving into scientific studies about hair revealed not only its unique characteristics but also the stark reality of excessive waste generated,” Kollar told Dezeen. “This realisation became a catalyst for a clear mission: finding sustainable ways to utilise hair waste.”
“Not only is the textile sector one of the largest markets in our economy, but it also ranks among the most environmentally taxing industries,” said Kollar.
The company wants to tackle the environmental impacts of the textile industry. Photo by Medina Resic
“Throughout history, we’ve utilised a variety of animal fibres in textiles, yet our own hair, composed of the same keratin protein as wool, often goes overlooked,” she continued. “Why not treat human hair as we would any other valuable textile fibre?”
According to Kollar, the use of human hair eliminates one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the textile industry: the cultivation of raw materials like cotton plants or farming of sheep for wool.
Waste hair does not degrade any soil, require any pesticide, pollute any water or produce any greenhouse gas emissions, she points out.
The textiles have many desirable attributes, says the company. Photo by Medina Resic
At the same time, hair has properties that make it highly desirable. It’s flexible, it has high tensile strength, it functions as a thermal insulator and it doesn’t irritate the skin.
Human Material Loop has focused on developing the technology to process hair so it can be integrated into standard machinery for yarn and textile production.
The company has made the waste hair into a staple fibre yarn – a type of yarn made by twisting short lengths of fibres together – and has several textiles in development.
It has also made a few complete garments, most recently a red sweater-like dress created in collaboration with the company Henkel, owner of the Schwartzkopf haircare brand.
Human Material Loop’s collaborations have yielded products such as this knit dress, made with the company Henkel. Photo courtesy of Schwarzkopf Professional
The dress is intended for display at hairdressing events, as part of an initiative to foster discussion about alternative salon waste-management ideas.
Seeing completed products like these, Kollar said, helps to ease the discomfort or disgust that many people feel around using products derived from humans.
“Surprisingly, the material looks utterly ordinary, akin to any other textile,” she said. “A fascinating transformation occurs when individuals touch and feel the fabric. Their initial scepticism dissolves, giving way to a subconscious acceptance of the material.”
People’s discomfort around the use of human hair is said to fade when they see the fabric
“The rejection usually stems from those who’ve merely heard about it without ever laying eyes on the garments themselves,” she continued. “It’s a testament to the power of firsthand experience in reshaping perceptions”
Kollar says Human Material Loop will also be targeting the architecture and interiors products market, for which she believes hair’s moisture resistance, antibacterial properties, and acoustic and thermal attributes will make it an attractive proposition.
The company has a commercial pilot scheduled for 2024 and also aims to create a comprehensive fabric library for brands and designers.
The company plans to make a build a full fabric library
Kollar had been making experimental textiles like a golden, scented tapestry woven from blonde hair for many years before setting out to commercialise the venture with Human Material Loop in 2021.
She is not the only designer to have attempted to utilise wasted hair cuttings. In recent years, Ellie Birkhead incorporated the material into region-specific bricks and hair was used to measure urban pollution in Bangkok.
Spotted: Regenerative agriculture is a farming method that improves soil, biodiversity, and crop quality, and is an important tool for sequestering carbon and protecting land. However, in Brazil, sustainable farming and forestry face practical barriers such as a lack of technical guidance, tools, and financing, which makes it very difficult to adopt regenerative practices.
Belterra, which was founded by a former Brazilian government official, is working to help smallholders in Brazil incorporate regenerative processes. It begins by analysing the most profitable combination of crops for a specific area, taking into account terrain, species interaction, and commercial interests.
Short and long-cycle crops are combined to form a food production system that benefits the land while also providing income from the first year of planting. Belterra’s team will also prepare the soil, supply materials and tools, and help carry out the planting. The company further connects farmers with commercial partners to create new markets and customers for their crops.
Belterra was selected as a 2023 Earthshot Prize finalist as a solution to ‘Protect and Restore Nature’.
Regenerative agriculture is becoming more common as farmers seek to improve yields without damaging the land. Other techniques Springwise has spotted recently include using bacteria to remove soil contaminants and solar-powered trackers that help ranchers manage their herds more sustainably.
The latest edition of “Architizer: The World’s Best Architecture” — a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe — is now available. Order your copy today.
There is a quality one finds in people who really believe in what they do. It is not excitement in the voice or a twinkle in the eye. No, it is simply the fact that they are eager to explain what they do as clearly as they can. With this type, there is no space for any sort of conversational filler. Time is of the essence, and at the end of the discussion, they want to make sure, above all, that you “got” it, that you grasped their message.
The type I am thinking of is the opposite of the dissimulating salesperson who speaks with an agenda in mind. Ironically, of course, a person who believes in what they do is far more convincing than any salesperson.
In any case, this was my experience speaking with Philippe Block, a structural design researcher at ETH Zurich who is best known for his commitment to “strength through geometry,” or the idea that the mass of buildings — and with it their embodied carbon footprints — could be greatly reduced if architects were more thoughtful about load distribution. Instead of beams and flat floor plates, Block envisions a future of vaults and curves. With the right shapes, he argues, we could create high-rise buildings with far less concrete and, in many cases, almost no steel reinforcements whatsoever. And like the Gothic cathedrals he loves, these structures would stand for centuries, persisting through hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.
The fan-vaulted stone ceiling of King’s College chapel at the University of Cambridge, UK: fully unreinforced, standing over five centuries, and proportionally as thin as an eggshell. Photo by J. Kurt Schmidt. Used with permission from Block Research Group.
Reducing the amount of concrete used in construction would have a major impact on climate change. It is estimated that 8% of global carbon emissions are caused by the manufacture of cement, the binding agent in concrete.
Block, it must be noted, is no longer simply a researcher. He recently launched a company called VAULTED AG which produces customizable modular floor plates made from unreinforced concrete. The plates, of course, use the most sustainable concrete available on the market. But the most important aspect of them is not what they are made from, it is their shape. Due to the use of vaulting, these floor plates use 60% less concrete and 80% less steel than the standard floor plates used in the industry.
Yet they are just as strong, and can easily be used in the construction of high-density, high-rise buildings, meeting a practical need in a world with a population projected to grow by over 2 billion in the next thirty years. Geometry, Block explained, is not just about beautiful shells, opera houses and stadiums. It isn’t just for show.
VAULTED AG commercialises a low-carbon, fully circular prefab vaulted floor, called the Rippmann Floor System (RFS), that reduces the global warming potential (GWP) compared to a flat slab in reinforced concrete by at least two-thirds. Here, workers install a Rippmann floor plate in a 10 story project in Zug, Switzerland. Photo by Gabriele Mattei, used with permission by VAULTED AG.
When I spoke to Block over Zoom, he was eager to get down to the nuts and bolts of the discussion, which ended up lasting over an hour. The questions I had prepared ended up being irrelevant, as his slideshow presentation covered all that I wanted to ask and more. It never occurred to Block that I might be interested in talking about his background or personal life. From the jump, our conversation was all about proving his thesis that geometry, or building technique, is more important than materials when it comes to sustainable construction. This, he explained, is the concept behind VAULTED AG’s revolutionary floor plates. And if this principle were widely applied, it could change the future of construction forever.
“When speaking of sustainability, so many people, in a very un-nuanced and simplistic way, talk about materials only, right?” he said, about a minute into the conversation. “Wood is good, concrete is bad. That is an absolute absurdity. It is not just about material, it’s also about how much you need, which is where structural design and optimization comes in, and then, increasingly important, the extending of resources or entire components past the first life of a building — to keep things in the loop in a circular construction economy.”
The three main levers that contribute to the environmental impact of a building or construction, focusing on embodied emissions and resources. Graphic prepared by Catherine De Wolf & Corentin Fivet. Used with permission from Block Research Group.
Here Block pulled up a graphic showing how he calculates the environmental impact over the lifespan of a building. He emphasized that his goal was not only to lower the mass of buildings, reducing the amount of carbon, but also to use forms of concrete that are recyclable, and that can be reused once a building has been demolished. Concrete used correctly, he explained, is just as sustainable as wood, especially if one takes into account the lifespan of the building and the ability for unreinforced concrete to be reused and repurposed.
At this point, Block moved to a slide of the famous fan vaulting over the nave of King’s College Chapel at the University of Cambridge, England. This structure, he explained, has stood for over 500 years. More impressive than this, the stone vaults of this structure are simply “masonry systems… just pieces of stone held together in compression. They stand because they have a good geometry while being proportionally as thin as an eggshell.”
The Armadillo Vault, shown at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale: 399 pieces of cut stone, held together through geometry, without mortar, glue or reinforcement, using the same principles as Gothic Cathedrals and demonstrating the beauty of strength through geometry. Photo by Iwan Baan. Used with permission from Block Research Group.
Block then opened his next slide, an installation he and his team created for the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale. “What you are looking at are 399 pieces of cut stone that are held together because of their geometry, no glue, no mortar, no reinforcement, fully dry assembled,” he explained. “So the same principles as to why the cathedrals are standing make this possible.” What struck me about this installation was just how thin the shell was. With the right geometry, a lot can be done with a small amount of materials.
Concrete, he explained, essentially behaves like stone once it is cast, so masonry principles apply to concrete construction. However, most modern buildings require massive amounts of steel-reinforced concrete because the structure is not assembled according to intelligent masonry principles. The key is to “align the structure to where the compressive forces naturally want to be,” unlike a “typical beam,” which does not offload the weight in any kind of strategic way, but simply braces the structure.
Concrete is an artificial stone, and like stone, it does not want to be a straight beam, it wants to be a masonry arch. A rib-stiffened, arched floor with tension ties uses up to 70% less concrete and 90% less steel compared to a flat slab in reinforced concrete for the same structural requirements. Graphic prepared by Block Research Group, ETH Zurich. Used with permission.
These are the principles that underlie Block’s vaulted floors, called the Rippmann Floor System or simply RFS. Aesthetically, I told Block, I really appreciated how these floors looked once installed, especially from underneath, where they can be installed to appear as beautiful vaulted ceilings. In the future, I proposed, perhaps flat roofs and ceilings will be associated with the 20th century, while geometrically informed construction will be considered a more contemporary building practice.
Block agreed, adding that there is something about these spaces that, like Gothic cathedrals, “feel good” to the visitor. One can tell that the materials are “happy,” that they are in an arrangement that “makes sense.” However, he added, he did not want to really push this point too hard. One could hang a simple flat suspended ceiling, concealing the expressive elements under thin shells. Architects who want to work with flat ceilings are still free to do so with this new system. Plates are fully customizable and easy to dry assemble on site. They are just as easy to work with as traditional floor systems; they just use drastically less material, and have a much smaller carbon footprint.
The CreaTower project in Zug, Switzerland, designed by Gigon+Guyer Architects, introduces the Rippman Floor System in a 10-story office tower. In the interior view, note the beautiful ribbed detailing on the ceiling, which makes structural elements of the flooring system visible. PONNIE images. Used with permission from Gigon+Guyer
The Rippmann Floor system is already being employed in commerical projects. In Zug, Switzerland, Gigon+Guyer is using the system for their CreaTower project, which includes a 10 story, 40 meter office tower.
I left my conversation with Block with a renewed sense of optimism about the future of architecture. Beautiful, powerful buildings need not be accompanied by a guilty conscience. With the right kind of ingenuity, we can have dense urban construction without catastrophic waste. Sustainability does not mean thinking smaller — just thinking differently. And maybe lighter…
Cover image: An early, sand-3D-printed prototype of the discrete masonry floor, which was further developed into the Rippmann Floor System. Used with permission from Block Research Group.
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Firewood logs were used as modular stackable elements for the scenography of the BIO27 Super Vernaculars design biennial in Ljubljana, Slovenia, which has been shortlisted for a 2023 Dezeen Award.
Firewood was stacked in various ways to stage the BIO27 Super Vernaculars
The four-month presentation explored how designers and architects are adapting vernacular traditions and value systems to respond to contemporary challenges like water scarcity, waste and declining biodiversity.
Similarly, the brief for the exhibition design was to rethink classic parameters and consider sustainability in the context of a temporary show.
The firewood bundles were used to display various design projects throughout MAO
Slovenian architecture studio Medprostor chose to create the scenography from a readily available, locally sourced material that could be entirely reused at the end of the show.
“Walls, planes, piles and lines of firewood are a part of the Slovenian visual landscape, as almost 59 per cent of the country is forested,” said Medprostor.
“By only using the standard logs and non-invasive stacking and binding methods, all the material was returned to the supplier for further resale and use.”
The logs were pre-cut to standard lengths so they could be reused
Pre-cut to standard lengths, the logs were oriented vertically and bound together to create tables and platforms of varying heights and sizes throughout the exhibit areas.
Some of the logs were notched in their tops to hold photographs and texts mounted on honeycomb cardboard sheets, which also formed flat horizontal surfaces for displaying items by participating designers.
Photos mounted onto honeycomb cardboard were placed in notches on top of the logs
Bundles were also laid on their sides to act as low-lying display podiums for larger pieces.
“The aim was to explore ways of stacking wood that are based in traditional techniques but can at the same time support new shapes and methods that evoke a sense of contemporaneity,” Medprostor said.
Orange and grey straps recycled from the shipping industry were used to bind the logs
The grey and orange straps used to bind the wood and to hang cardboard panels from the ceiling were reused from the shipping industry.
A few panels also incorporated video screens or served as a backdrop for projections, adding another medium through which the curated projects could be articulated.
Medprostor collaborated with graphic designers Studio Kruh and AA to continue the low-impact approach to the exhibition graphics and signage, which were primarily printed on-site at the museum.
Additionally, the firewood was able to extend its drying process for the duration of the biennial, making it more energy-efficient when finally used as fuel, according to the studio.
Hanging panels incorporated video screens and were used as projector backdrops
“The drier the wood, the higher heating value and better environmental footprint it has,” Medprostor said. “While in the museum, logs can dry additionally and be returned to the supplier for further resale with a better ecological footprint.”
“The museum becomes a part of the process of curing the wood.”
All of the firewood was returned to the supplier when the exhibition ended
The BIO27 Super Vernaculars scenography has been shortlisted in the exhibition design category of the 2023 Dezeen Awards, along with a shrink-wrapped exhibition design by Didier Faustino and a showcase of recycled steel chairs by Daisuke Yamamoto.
The awards will be presented during a ceremony and party in London on Tuesday 28 November 2023, with creative direction by The Unlimited Dream Company.
BIO27 Super Vernaculars took place at the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO), Ljubljana, Slovenia from 26 May to 29 September 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Project credits:
Location: Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO), Ljubljana, Slovenia Exhibition design: Medprostor: Rok Žnidaršič, Jerneja Fischer Knap, Katarina Čakš, Teja Gorjup Graphic design: Studio Kruh + AA Curator: Jane Withers Assistant curator: Ria Hawthorn BIO27 director: Anja Radović
Spotted: Like many other countries, there is a serious shortage of housing in the US due to the growing numbers of people setting up their own households. According to CNN, once multi-family homes are taken into account, the US is short of around 2.3 million homes. At the same time, there is a supply and demand mismatch in many urban centres as builders find it easier to build homes away from city centres, where demand is highest.
Working to fix this is SaaS company Cedar. The company’s platform uses generative algorithms, along with public and privately available data, to generate a broad array of building designs and predict the development yield on parcels of land. The outcome is that builders can know very quickly exactly what to build where in order to maximise income and minimise time to delivery.
Cedar’s focus is on non-institutional, ‘missing middle’ scale projects, which the company argues are essential to creating a more “economically and environmentally sustainable density” in cities. The platform helps developers pinpoint opportunities for builders and developers in places where housing density can be most easily increased.
The company recently announced a $3 million (around €2.7 million) seed funding round, led by Caffeinated Capital, with participation from Tishman Speyer Ventures, and others. Global venture capital firm Antler was also an early (pre-seed) investor.
Sustainable housing is the focus of a wide number of recent innovations spotted by Springwise. These include bio-based, recyclable, 3D-printed homes and houses made from cross-laminated timber.