Spotted: Designed explicitly for communities living in remote areas that lack a consistent source of clean drinking water, Chilean company Fresh Water Solutions’ Urban device captures tiny water particles suspended in the air. By gathering the particles together, the moisture becomes heavy enough to form a rain cloud. The device then pools the water in preparation for filtration.
The device is small enough to fit on a countertop or table and runs on electricity. The captured water is filtered, purified, and sterilised before being made available for drinking. Each system provides up to 15 litres of clean water a day – enough drinking water for a small- to medium-sized family. A digital display makes the device easy to run and maintain.
Filters need to be cleaned every two weeks to two months, and replaced every one to two years. Owners can buy filters from Fresh Water Solutions or elsewhere as the size and shape is generic and easy to find.
Fresh Water Solutions also provides emergency water solutions, including a modular pond for extreme weather conditions, and a flexible, pillow-like tank for particularly tricky locations. Organisations can use the systems too, as the company’s commercial and industrial devices have capacity to create up to 5,000 litres a day.
Sourcing clean water is an imperative for many communities around the world. Most of the solutions spotted by Springwise focus on affordability and local materials. Macadamia shells are used in South Africa, and a ceramic design provides portable filtration in Mexico.
Spotted: The need for emergency shelters in Ukraine has increased exponentially as a result of the country’s invasion by Russia. In response, architect Slava Balbek began designing new housing for people forced to flee their homes. He knew this would not be easy, but wanted his design solution to help refugees regain some sense of stability.
When half of Balbek’s 75-person company was forced to relocate, he realised that others would need new housing too. After convening a team of 10 architects at his company, he began to work on designs for refugee shelters that could be built quickly. The team analysed 20 existing models from around Europe before deciding on its final product – which is tailored to suit Ukraine’s cold climate.
The shelter’s design is modular, with small units that can be arranged in configurations that cater for different numbers of people – from as few as 50 to hundreds. Some configurations feature communal bathrooms, kitchens, and green space, while others have room underneath them dedicated solely towards playgrounds and sports fields.
The design is open-source, so others are also free to make use of it. However, the firm is asking everyone to maintain the sense of spaciousness and ensure that everyone stays within comfort boundaries to provide ‘dignity life’. “You can change designs, models and produce your own for a more personalised space,” explains Balbek.
Other innovations, spotted by Springwise, that cater for the needs of refugees in emergency situations include, refugee shelters that pop-up at the touch of a button, shelters made from recycled plastic, and a language learning app that helps migrant children navigate cultural differences.
Spotted: Chinese designer Meng Du has released a new collection of bags made with an alternative leather produced from leftover grape skins. The bags have been created in partnership with OddBird, a non–alcoholic wine producer based in Sweden.
For her Unwasted collection, Du sourced the material from Planet of the Grapes, a French producer of materials and natural dyes made from waste grape skins. Planet of the Grapes uses a byproduct of wine production called grape marc. Grape marc consists of all surplus skins, pulp, pips, and stems of the fruit left over after pressing.
To make the leather alternative, the grape marc is sun dried and ground into a powder. The powder is then blended with other natural ingredients to create a liquid that is poured onto a fabric of natural stem fibres and left to dry again.
“The entire process takes around four or five weeks, as it starts off with the spreading out and the drying all of the grapes in the sunshine for a couple of weeks,” explains Planet of the Grapes co-founder Sam Mureau.
The collection features two models: a large squashed plastic milk carton looking bag called Unwasted Merlot, and a tin-can-like pack named Unwasted Chardonnay which is smaller. Du explains that she hopes the shapes will draw attention to the importance of recycling as well as encouraging consumers to rethink how their belongings are made.
For the Unwasted Merlot, it takes about 1,200 grapes to create enough leather alternative – which is about 0.5 square metres of leather. The bags are currently available to pre-order before on-demand production begins later in the year.
Springwise has spotted innovations using leather alternatives made from hemp, apples, and mushrooms.
REDO Architects had stage sets in mind when redesigning the interiors for a pair of houses in the former Puppeteers’ Quarter in Sintra, Portugal.
The two homes, now known as Puppeteers House, are part of a series of buildings that were originally built for a local puppeteer’s family, but had more recently been used as storage for farming tools.
A curved wooden bench creates a window seat on the first-floor landing
With its renovation, Lisbon-based REDO Architects has brought the buildings back into residential use as homes for two of the puppeteer’s great grandchildren.
The revamped buildings are designed to capture the spirit of their heritage, with lightweight wooden joinery constructions that evoke theatrical scenography and circular details that suggest a playful character.
Bathrooms are concealed within the wooden joinery
An all-new interior layout was needed, so this was designed to reinforce the theatrical feel.
Elements like the staircase and first-floor window seat have a stage-like quality, while secondary spaces like bathrooms are concealed within the walls.
The larger house contains a dedicated kitchen and dining space
“The relation between the existing external walls and the new interior walls – two different skins – was explored and dramatised throughout the project on different scales,” explained studio founder Diogo Figueiredo.
“This friction generated misalignments, which are expressed in the windows as opaque panels,” he told Dezeen, “and it also created in-between spaces for built-in furniture and bathrooms, like a back-of-stage area.”
The homes sit on opposite sides of a garden courtyard
One of the houses is single-storey, the other is double-storey, and they are located either side of a private courtyard.
The buildings are designed to function as self-contained properties, but they are also very open to one another, with large windows fronting the shared courtyard garden.
The smaller property contains one bedroom on the ground floor
The smaller of the two homes contains a living space with a kitchenette, a separate bedroom and a bathroom.
The other home has a similar layout, with a living room and a separate kitchen and dining space on the ground floor, and two en-suite bedrooms upstairs.
Living spaces feature lioz stone flooring
A consistent materials palette features throughout. An ivory-toned regional stone known as lioz was used flooring in the main living spaces and surfaces for the kitchen and bathrooms.
Flooring in the bedrooms is wood, matching the doors, furniture and shelving that feature throughout the two homes.
Circular details feature throughout the interiors, at a range of scales. Some are full circles, like the porthole window and cabinet handles, while others are large curves, like the window seat or the rounded wall partitions.
“We used a precise quarter of a circle as a tool – like a compass – in different radii, orientations, combinations and materialities,” explained Figueiredo.
The main first-floor bedroom features a corner window
“It was explored in different moments of the project: to differentiate and disconnect the new internal layer from the existing walls, to connect different rooms, and to create smooth circulation routes,” he said.
Many of these curves are mirrored in ceiling details directly overhead, which contrast with the linearity of the exposed roof beams.
The second first-floor bedroom features a porthole window
Other recent examples of house renovations in Portugal include House in Fontaínhas, a home with candy-coloured details, and Rural House in Portugal, a house created in an old granite community oven.
Textured surfaces and sinuous forms populate this outpost of vegan restaurant chain Sequel in Mumbai, which was designed by local architect Ashiesh Shah.
Located in an office development in the city’s Bandra Kurla Complex, the interior was conceived as a calming antidote to the busy business district beyond.
“The restaurant alludes to a timeless charm, celebrating the ethos of subtle luxury, slow living and refined lifestyles,” Shah explained.
The dining area of Sequel’s Mumbai outpost features counter seating (above) as well as a number of standalone tables (top image)
Divided into two zones, Sequel features a grab-and-go counter on one side and a cafe on the other, which serves as a formal dining area for customers looking for a break from work.
The two areas are divided by a central partition with a doorway on either side for easy circulation.
Sheer curtains cover the restaurant’s wrap-around window
Shah designed the restaurant as a reflection of Sequel’s philosophy, which it described as “futuristic in form and earthy at its core”.
Textured materials are paired with neutral colours and soft edges to create a “visually soft interior”.
Shah had a number of furniture items, such as these stools, custom-made for the project
“The material choices for the space pay homage to Indian craftsmanship and handmade processes,” Shah explained.
A sculptural lighting fixture, handmade using lacquered channapatna beads from the Indian state of Karnataka, hangs in the centre of the seating area.
A chandelier made from lacquered wooden beads hangs above the dining area
Here, walls are lined with oak wood veneer that runs from the ground onto the walls and along the gridded facade, while a sheer curtain covers the wrap-around window. A matching console unit is finished in the same oak wood veneer.
The grab-and-go section of the restaurant is enveloped by curved walls clad in louvred wooden panelling that was handmade on site, before being finished in an open-grained veneer with grey lacquer.
A monolithic serving counter enveloped in moulded off-white Corian resin emerges from the wall and snakes out into the dining area.
Its curved lines are echoed in the false ceiling overhead, where globe-shaped lights are positioned like pearls within oyster-shaped reliefs made from textured lime plaster.
The same bumpy plaster was applied to parts of the walls and a series of oyster-shaped shelves that appear to grow out of the wall, while patterned terracotta bricks line the floor.
The ceiling is decorated with oyster-shaped reliefs
Many of the furniture pieces, including the rounded chairs and sofas in the formal dining area as well as the consoles, bar units, coffee counters, communal tables, shelving and storage cabinets, were custom-made for the project.
“The lighting, materiality and form together celebrate a narrative of perfect imperfection,” Shah explained.
An integrated shelving system seems to grow from the walls
In his work, the architect says he practices the Japanese aesthetic philosophy of wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfections.
Other restaurants with textured surfaces include a Kyiv eatery by Yakusha Design with rough concrete walls and this fine-dining restaurant where Valencia studio Masquespacio employed uneven surface finishes such as rough stucco, ceramic and terracotta tiles.
Chinese studio FOG Architecture has added curved walls, mirrored surfaces and faux stone to the interiors of aromatherapy brand ToSummer’s flagship store in Beijing.
Located in Beijing’s Taikoo Li Sanlitun shopping village, FOG Architecture designed the 170-square-metre ToSummer store to recall the atmosphere of a cave.
Top: a mirrored screen was placed at the entrance to the store. Above: the exterior of the store is covered in a textured faux stone
“The brand’s concrete requirement for this space design was a modern cave,” said FOG Architecture.
“We chose not to directly create the natural appearance of caves but, instead, presents the characteristic elements of material textures to inspire the sensory experience.”
The mirrored screen reflects passers-by and the interior of the store
The entrance to the store is marked by a large faux-stone wall and a mirrored screen, which leads visitors into the store.
The studio explained that the large mirrored screen was designed to draw passers-by into the store while referencing screens typically used in homes and domestic spaces.
Curving walls were used along the perimeter of the store
“The curiosity of what is behind attracts the beholders to walk inside,” FOG Architecture co-founder Zheng Yu told Dezeen. “The surface of the screen is usually decorated with an illustration of natural scenery.”
“It is a metaphor of the space hidden behind. And this is the reason we placed a scaled up, mirror polished screen as the central spatial element. It illustrates beauty in a restrained manner.”
The store was divided into multiple zones
Natural-toned, undulating walls envelop the interior of the store and are illuminated by strip lighting set within the ceiling.
The interior was divided and zoned into a collection of small sections each with its own functions, housing retail space, exhibition space and installation areas.
A cream Togo by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset, an off-white Playdough chair and coffee table by Karstudio as well as amorphous mirrors were placed throughout the store suggesting the idea of domestic space.
“The aim of the furniture is to convey a sense of the domestic,” said Yu. “That’s why we named this space a ‘Living Room’. A space that gives people a place to breathe in a busy and fast-moving shopping mall.”
A long metal island contrats with the softness of the store
Custom “timber rotten” chairs designed by British designer Max Lamb were also placed across the store and in niches formed by its curved walls.
“In a way, Max Lamb was also our main inspiration during the project,” Yu explained.
“The [chairs] lacquering was smooth, shiny and colourful while the foam is tortured, torn, scarred – combined the materiality itself gives me an illusion of heaviness similar to a piece of timber rotten through time, but it is lightweight and smooth and newly made.”
Shelves were built within the curving walls
An exhibition and retail space at the rear of the store has a series of shelves organised around a long reflective metal island that contrasts to the curving walls it is surrounded by.
Rectangular metal shelves were suspended along the undulating walls, drawing attention to the irregularity of the space while displaying products like artworks.
Two chairs designed by Max Lamb occupy the space
A metal cashier’s table was tucked behind a curving volume and mimics the shape of its walls, forming a rounded counter space that becomes an extension of the walls.
“[The store] transforms the original cave concept into spatial language, integrating it into this realistic space full of modern oriental feeling to present a delicate balance between commercial and art, domestic and public realm, natural and artificial,” said the studio.
The display areas were designed to showcase product like artwork
FOG Architecture is a studio with offices in London, Shanghai and Chongqing founded by Yu and Zhan Di.
Other Beijing projects with curved walls include this avocado-green space age informed hair salon and this kindergarten with a rooftop playground by MAD Architects.
Photography is by Inspace.
Project credits:
Design principle: Zheng Yu, Zhan Di Design team: Hou Shaokai, Zhou Chuyang, Xiong Aijie, Vince Choi and Fu Shidi Lighting design: School of Architecture, Tsinghua University and One Lighting Associates Beijing Furniture and installation design: DEFRONT and F.O.G. Construction drawing: SU PIN Construction team: Youlong Jinsheng Decoration Ltd.
A zigzagging plinth that accommodates seating, steps and planters weaves its way through this terracotta-coloured salad bar in Valencia by local design practice Horma Studio.
Located in a protected heritage building in the city’s L’Eixample district, the 140-square-metre space belongs to the BeGreen Salad Company.
For its interior, the brand wanted a non-prescriptive layout that could be used in a multitude of different ways.
A zigzagging plinth integrates planters and seating
“They asked us to design a comfortable and singular space,” Horma Studio told Dezeen.
“It needed to be representative of BeGreen as a place that should be honest, natural and sustainable but at the same time should rethink the concept of a typical cafe and restaurant with chairs and tables. They were looking for something flexible that could be used without any rules.”
The plinth runs along one wall of the 30-metre-long space
Finished in micro cement, terracotta and timber, the interior is laid out over an awkward long and narrow floor plan.
To maximise the eatery’s small footprint, the design team inserted a simple seating “plinth” that zigzags along one wall of the 30-metre-long space.
“We realised that the angular furniture allows us to get in more seats and contributes to creating a pleasant space, making this combination the best for our design,” the studio explained.
Finished in micro-cement, the plinth is set at different levels of up to 90 centimetres in height. It divides the plan into different seating areas including booths, benches and steps for casual seating, alongside areas for planting.
The plinth is decorated with locally-produced terracotta elements such as wall tiles and integrated cylindrical table legs. Matching upholstered seat cushions were used to pad out the bench and seating.
“The project aims to be as sustainable and honest as possible, so we simplified our decisions and used as few materials as possible,” said Horma Studio.
The serving counter is finished in micro-cement
Other terracotta-hued eateries include this Mexican restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles, where Wick Architecture & Design chose materials “that could be found on a construction site”, and a cafe in Melbourne in which Australian practice Ritz & Ghougassian used the worn red brick facade as a reference point.
London firm dMFK Architects has transformed a mid-century medical laboratory into a flexible office space with smoked oak joinery and a restored concrete staircase.
The office is spread over 550 square metres and located on the first floor of a fully-glazed 1960s building in the city’s Fitzrovia neighbourhood.
Meeting rooms are separated from the main space using smoked oak joinery
dMFK Architects was commissioned by property developers Derwent London to create an interior that was in keeping with the building’s heritage while incorporating the essential features of a modern co-working space.
Accessed from the ground floor lobby via the building’s original restored concrete staircase, the office features smoked oak joinery and bespoke family-style tables by British furniture brand Benchmark.
Spherical pendant lights hang in the main open-plan office area
Paired with vintage lights and pieces of Swiss and Danish furniture, the overall scheme creates a homely environment that is reminiscent of the mid-century era.
The studio incorporated a wide range of spaces for different types of work including phone booths, focus booths, a choice of meeting spaces, shared flexible workbenches, a breakout area, dining spaces, showers and changing facilities.
“We aimed to design as many different workplace opportunities within one space as we could, to offer a potential tenant light and shade and a range of options,” said dMFK Architects.
“Materials were kept soft and neutral to appeal to as wide a range of tenants as we could.”
Open shelving helps to divide up the space
The architects also stressed the importance of offering different types of lighting to foster productivity.
“We wanted contrast, areas of light and shade, strong task lighting on the tables but dimmer lighting in other areas,” they explained.
“We also chose not to use linear strip lighting to create a less even quality of light, which we believe is less tiring and more interesting.”
dMFK Architects restored the building’s original concrete staircase
According to dMFK Architects, the project is representative of a growing trend for developers to create finished interiors within office spaces, rather than renting out empty shells.
The studio has previously designed 11 buildings for The Office Group and was responsible for renovating The Gaslight, a mixed-use development set within an art deco building in central London.
