Spotted: Every year, the world generates two billion metric tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW), with thousands of tonnes of that rubbish sent to landfills every day. A significant proportion of this is plastic or petroleum-based products that take hundreds of years to decompose, leaching harmful chemicals and shedding toxic microplastics into the environment as they break down.
Shifting to natural materials that can biodegrade safely is crucial in tackling our waste problem – an increasingly popular option being those made from mycelium (fungi). The problem is that when mycelial fibres are extracted from the fungi, either mechanically or chemically, the process often results in discolouration, or the delicate fibrous structures becoming damaging, which can compromise their beneficial properties.
Researchers at Shinshu University in Japan have now developed a novel method for collecting mycelial pulp that retains the physical structures of the mycelium. The team, led by Assistant Professor Satomi Tagawa, began by treating reishi and enoki mushrooms with sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide, before bleaching them using sunlight. Then, the researchers defibrillated the material using ultrasonic treatments. The result was a pulp containing micrometre-sized mycelium fibres that still had their fibrous mycelial structures intact.
Now, the research team is exploring other mushrooms that could be utilised to produce even higher quality materials, or create materials with different properties. They hope to take advantage of Japan’s position as one of the world’s largest mushroom producers, including through the creation of the Mycomaterial Technology Consortium – an initiative that focuses on maximising the utility of mushrooms.
New and more sustainable materials are being developed every day. Springwise has also spotted the use of this plant as a plastic alternative in straws as well as this company that is upcycling cardboard into foam packaging.
Texas studio Method Architecture has completed an office for itself in Houston with maximalist design, vibrant colours and a mural at its centre.
The 8,612-square foot (800-square metre) studio was completed in 2023 with a reception area, open office plan, private and collaborative meeting spaces and staff lounges.
Method Architecture has completed its self-designed studio
Located in the mixed-use East River development, designed by architecture studio Page, the office was designed to serve as an inspiration source for the studio’s clients.
“Our approach was to pursue maximalism with the goal of creating an environment where our clients would feel safe expressing their bold and innovative ideas with us,” Ashley Bettcher, Research and Design Specialist with Method Architecture told Dezeen.
The office was designed to serve as an inspiration source
“Creativity has no limits and great design doesn’t necessarily need to cost more. Method’s new Houston office perfectly encapsulates that mantra.”
The “ego-free” focus of the design is a nearly 50-foot multi-wall mural by local artist David Maldonado, known for creating nearly 20 pieces of public artwork throughout Houston.
David Maldonado created a multi-wall mural for the studio
With pops of magenta, cobalt, and yellow, the mural features icons from the city and state like the skyline, a rocket for Johnson Space Center, a bluebonnet as the Texas state flower, and the neighbouring Buffalo Bayou.
The artwork also slips in custom motifs representing the studio, such as Method’s rubber duck mascot.
Light grey flower-like acoustic baffles hang from the ceiling
“This feature piece of artwork helps set the tone for the remainder of the office including bold colors, geometric patterns and shapes and a secondary mural designed and installed by Maldanado featuring drip paint in mirroring colorways located at the back of the office,” the team said.
The mural is complemented by a 3D-printed wall installation behind the reception desk composed of the studio’s signature “M” logo and the raw ceiling with exposed mechanical lines all painted a vibrant shade of fuchsia.
Clients pass through a half-arched portal
Light grey flower-like acoustic baffles hang from the ceiling adding to the maximalist design. Light blue bicycles are mounted on one wall as another unique installation.
From the reception area lounge, clients pass through a half-arched portal – created with custom millwork and embedded lights – into the main office space which includes rows of desks over custom greyscale carpet.
Hotel desk stations accommodate hybrid work styles
Hotel desk stations accommodate hybrid work styles for both in-office and at-home work.
“Cozy architectural work booths are nestled amid the bustling breakroom and office areas, offering a quiet refuge for more private work, private conversations or meals with coworkers,” the team said.
The workspace is flanked by six meeting rooms: a large creative conference space, three medium-sized conference rooms and two smaller huddle spaces.
The all-white conference room was left intentionally blank to showcase the client’s material selections with tunable white lights to adjust the light temperature for each project.
An M-shaped window cutout opens the conference room to the rest of the office
An M-shaped window cutout opens the conference room to the rest of the office.
In the break room, bright blue suede fabric adorns the walls to provide an unexpected texture and pale blue lamp shades – reminiscent of the shape of inverted cupcake liners – serve as a geometric juxtaposition to the rounded banquette boxes.
Bright blue suede fabric adorns the walls in the break room
“Plush, psychedelic-inspired fabrics in meeting booths and distinctive light fixtures keep the space feeling light and fun to inspire creative design,” the studio said.
In addition to being designed for flexible workflows and teams, the space features multiple sustainable and WELL features like ample daylighting, repurposed materials and ergonomic furniture.
Other recently completed projects in Houston include Nelson Byrd Woltz’s grassed park that bridges a six-lane highway and Modu’s design for a wellness building with a self-cooling exterior.
The photography is by Ana Larranaga, Method Architecture.
Project credits:
Architecture: Method Architecture MEP: Telios Engineering General contractor: Burton Construction Furniture: AGILE Interiors, MDI, OP, Flooring: Interface, Shaw Contract Tile: Trinity Surfaces, La Nova Textiles: Knoll Textiles Masonry: Upchurch Kimbrough Demountable partitions: DIRTT Countertops: CAMBRIA Mural: David Maldonado Lighting: Lighting Associates Inc. Signage: ARIA Signs
Several restaurants and a hotel have opened within Detroit’s historic Book Tower as part of a years-long restoration project of the building undertaken by its developer and architecture studio ODA.
The 1920s skyscraper has undergone extensive restoration work over the past seven years by local developer Bedrock, which has transformed the former office building into a mixed-use space.
Among Book Tower’s restored features are a grand glass dome, which sits over the lobby’s Bar Rotunda
A collaboration with Method Co has led to the first phase of restaurant and bar concepts, which were introduced through the course of 2023.
“We have been ever-mindful of what the restoration of Book Tower means to this city,” said Randall Cook, CEO and cofounder of Method Co, “and we’ve worked hard to create hospitality concepts that will excite and reconnect Detroiters to Book Tower once again, and at the same time honour the heritage of this magnificent property.”
Developers Bedrock worked with architects ODA on the restoration of the 1920s neoclassical building
Located on Washington Boulevard in Downtown Detroit, the 38-storey neoclassical building was designed by Louis Kamper – a prolific and celebrated architect in the city during its Gilded Age.
New York architecture firm ODA was hired to update and expand the programming and existing structures, resulting in half a million square feet (46,450 square metres) of mixed-use space.
Method Co was brought on to conceptualise and operate multiple culinary offerings within the building, including Le Suprême brasserie at street level
The work included restoring the exterior windows and stonework and bringing an ornate domed glass ceiling back to life.
Method Co was then brought on to conceptualise three restaurants and bars, as well as a hotel, and operate each of these venues within the building.
Designed with Stokes Architecture + Design, Le Suprême includes a zinc bar top, hand-made tiles and mosaic marble flooring
Dining options include Le Suprême, a classic French brasserie that offers an all-day menu and both indoor and outdoor seating at street level for up to 210 guests.
Designed in collaboration with Stokes Architecture + Design, the 6,200-square-foot space features a traditional zinc bar top, hand-made art nouveau tiles, mosaic marble flooring and oxblood leather booths.
Furniture and decor were chosen to reflect Detroit’s cultural heritage, and photos on the walls of the Le Mans car race tie to the city’s automobile legacy.
On the 14th floor is Kamper’s, a rooftop cocktail bar designed with ODA
On the 14th floor is Kamper’s, a rooftop cocktail bar designed with ODA comprising an indoor lounge that opens onto an expansive outdoor terrace via large French doors.
The cosy interior has exposed brick walls and dark wood accents, complemented by marble mosaic flooring, antiqued mirrors and velvet drapery.
Kamper’s opens onto an expansive terrace with views across Detroit
Bar Rotunda sits below the glass dome and acts as an all-day lobby cafe and bar, with 70 seats surrounded by ornate architectural details that recall the grand eateries of early 20th-century Paris.
“The space is canopied by a beautifully restored 100-year-old Keppler Glass dome that features more than 7,000 individual jewels and 6,000 glass panels making it an architectural centerpiece,” said Method Co, which also worked with ODA on this space.
Also planned to open soon within Book Tower are sake pub Sakazuki, and izakaya and omakase-style dining spot Hiroki-San.
The hotel component of the building, Roost Detroit, offers short and long-stay accommodation in contemporary apartment-style spaces, alongside The Residences that are purchasable as permanent homes.
The building’s accommodation component, Roost Detroit, is Method Co’s latest iteration of its apartment hotel brand
Roost Detroit is the latest iteration of Method Co’s apartment hotel brand, joining multiple outposts in Philadelphia – including the Morris Adjmi-designed East Market – along with Tampa, Cleveland and more across the US.
The company also operates The Quoin boutique hotel in Wilmington, Delaware, which offers 24 guest rooms within a converted bank building, and the Whyle extended-stay property in Washington DC that was longlisted in the hotel and short-stay interior category of Dezeen Awards 2021.
Roost Detroit offers short and extended stays within contemporary spaces of various sizes and configurations
Downtown Detroit’s revitalisation has taken shape over the past few years, and a handful of new hotels have opened to accommodate visitors who are returning to witness its cultural and creative rebirth.
They include The Siren Hotel, designed by ASH NYC to recall the city’s glamorous past, and the Shinola Hotel, which Gachot Studios designed for the local watch company of the same name.
Spotted: In 2020, there were 18.1 million cases of cancer across the globe, with 9.3 million of these being in men and 8.8 million in women. Not only is the diagnosis extremely distressing for the people involved, the cost of treatment and monitoring is constantly rising as well. Now, researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a non-invasive testing technique that is much more affordable than other methods.
Traditional testing methods analyse blood samples for the DNA signatures of cancer cells. However, sifting through all the genetic material in a sample – a method called whole-genome sequencing – is expensive and labour-intensive because cancer-specific biomarkers tend to be concentrated in areas known as CpG islands, which make up only around one per cent of the genome. The new method, however, discards non-informative sections in a patient’s DNA and targets the CpG island.
The method was discovered by accident when a researcher heated a blood sample and realised that the heat destroyed much of the genome, but left the CpG islands intact. This allowed them to sequence the remaining genome directly – making the tests not only faster and cheaper, but also more sensitive than traditional methods.
The research team estimates the new testing method – called the Heatrich-BS assay – will cost around $35 (around €32.50), compared to around $750 (around €697) for traditional methods. With this reduced cost, tests will be able to be performed more regularly.
The team, led by Assistant Professor Cheow Lih Feng, is working on finding industry partners to bring their technology to market.
Springwise has spotted growing number of scientific innovations aimed at making medical testing more accessible. These include a non-invasive method for detecting malaria using a smartphone, and a cheap, handheld testing kit.
Spotted: If you’ve ever bought a takeaway, chances are it arrived in packaging that uses PFAS, or poly- and per-fluoroalkyl substances. PFAS is a permanent group of 4700 industrial chemicals that have leaked into our environment, contaminating our blood, water, air, and food.
Thankfully, recently published work by chemical engineering and environmental scientists at the University of California, Riverside, aims to make these chemicals not-so-permanent. Their new method breaks up these ‘forever chemicals’ found in drinking water into smaller, harmless compounds.
The process infuses the contaminated water with hydrogen before exposing it to ultraviolet light; hydrogen makes water molecules more reactive, while the light causes chemical reactions that destroy the PFAS chemicals. This new method breaks the strong fluorine-to-carbon chemical bond that makes these pollutants so long-lasting and accumulative in the environment. Compared to other ultraviolet water treatment methods, the molecular destruction of PFAS increased from 10 to almost 100 per cent.
The new clean-up technology is also eco-friendly. “After the interaction, hydrogen will become water. The advantage of this technology is that it is very sustainable,” said Haizhou Liu, an associate professor in UCR’s Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and the paper’s corresponding author.
Although Liu and his colleagues have only tested out the methods in small volumes of tap water, the team has been offered a $50,000 (around €46,600) proof-of-concept grant from UCR’s Office of Technology Partnerships to scale up and handle larger volumes of water.
Springwise has previously spotted other green technologies that clean up polluted water, including oil-eating microbes, and a process that treats industrial wastewater.
