Innholdsfortegnelse for Winter 2023 i Frame

A studio, a shop, an academy, a lab and a museum, all focused on promoting regenerative and circular design methods. Perhaps Space Available (SA) is best described as an ecosystem of environmentally forward efforts and outings. The Bali-based outfit – whose name derives from the vacancy signs that defined the commercial streetscape during the pandemic – was initiated in 2020 by creative director Dan Mitchell, who also cofounded retail concept LN-CC. SA Studio is dedicated to fundamentally changing the perspective on consumer waste – ocean plastic in particular, a global ecological crisis that’s very prominent on the island. Working towards that goal, it produces products – ranging from T-shirts and turntables to chairs and living structures – that combine nature-based materials with post-consumer waste sourced locally from Indonesian streets, landfills,…

The conditions under which Giovanni Bellotti and Alessandra Covini studied and started their practice in 2015 significantly shaped their creative approach. A financial crisis combined with an ongoing environmental one urged the founders of Studio Ossidiana to ‘do work that would speak of desire, rather than necessity’, says Bellotti. ‘We thought then, as we do now, that desire is a more powerful and optimistic drive for change than guilt or fear.’ By combining research and fabrication – or in their words, ‘theory and action’ – Bellotti and Covini can partake in the global debate on architecture and translate their thinking to the built environment. Many Studio Ossidiana projects are designed with multiuse in mind, whether it be a museum opening up to the local community outside of operating hours or…

People in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, China, India, Singapore and Australia work remotely more than two days per week on average, according to research completed by real estate company JLL, meaning that the office is only partially in use throughout the week; it’s often underutilized or even empty. And that doesn’t even account for after-work hours or weekends, where offices go entirely unused. ‘There is a greater need to cultivate a sense of community through various means in personal and professional environments,’ says Ashley Rumsey, cofounder and executive director of Mason Studio. ‘Using the workplace as a third place creates belonging, encourages collaboration and inspires growth within the community.’ Some employers have redirected their efforts spatially, not only focusing on social incubation within their workplaces, but also on how…

Smart home technology to support individual health and wellbeing. Furniture for next-generation working and learning environments. Seating solutions produced with circularity in mind. Objects inspired by Japanese bamboo craftsmanship and the art of paper folding. A system supporting the ageing population working from home. We share the products defining the market today. As an Italian take on French boiserie, Piero Lissoni designed TAI for door and surfacing manufacturer LUALDI. The square components with a black oak finish can be fixed to walls, ceilings or doors. The surface’s precise craftsmanship gives it a strong presence in any space. lualdiporte.com Using AI, NOBI developed a light that can detect, prevent and predict falls in older adults. It’s capable of monitoring vital signs and is part of a generation of smart home technology…

It takes a village to raise a child. To Nifemi Marcus-Bello, this proverb, which originated in Africa, also applies to his work as a designer. Underscoring empathy, community and humility as the cornerstones of good design, the Lagos native works with respect for – and consideration of – all stakeholders in the creative process, including production. And it’s that process that has the most impact on the outcome. ‘I studied design in the West and picked up some good and bad habits, but one thing that I learned that was important in practising design in Lagos was the learning and unlearning of habits and approaches,’ he says. ‘The biggest of which is that on the [African] continent it’s easier to propose solutions or ideas than to dictate them.’ His namesake…

The ageing wood-construction houses typical of rural China have posed the government and architects with the challenge of how to both safeguard the traditional typology and adapt the vernacular buildings to rapidly changing lifestyles. Traditional House of the Future, a prototype dwelling conceived by Lidia Ratoi and John Lin from the University of Hong Kong, proposes a possible solution. As part of a government plan in Nanlong Village, Guizhou, to renew hundreds of homes that have been abandoned and since deteriorated, the project combines robotic on-site printing with traditional wood craftsmanship and participatory design processes as a revitalization method. Previous research done by the makers of the reinvigorated home informed this approach. While Lin explored innovative renovations of vernacular houses carried out ad hoc by builders in remote locations…

amenity-forward living Amsterdam’s amenity-rich Domus Houthaven apartment building combines the conveniences of co-living and the positives of private residences. Designed by Shift Architecture Urbanism and conceptualized in collaboration with Synchroon Developers and creative agency …,Staat, the building features 235 units ranging from 43 to 60 m2 to meet the city’s growing demand for one- and two-person living spaces. The building’s interconnected blocks ensure each space has access to natural light and allow for the central placement of shared amenities, such as co-working and living rooms, a glass house cooking studio on a shared roof terrace and an independent guest room. Plans to attach public commercial spaces like a gym, day care and café to the co-working facilities will further connect residents with the community. KD reclaimed roadside One Green Mile,…

1 hear vulnerable voices Although co-creation – making the end users and affected parties part of the design process, ideally from an early stage – may be important for every community project, it’s critical for designing spaces for underrepresented communities. Public co-creation processes should avoid top-down approaches, and fully accommodate and prioritze those voices that are often lost or neglected. 2 allow for change Our societies are not set in stone, and neither should our buildings be. Once the project is in the hands of its users, they’ll inhabit it in their own way. At some stage their lifestyles and/or needs may evolve, or they might move on, making way for new users. Architecture should thus have a sense of open-endedness – a solid, adaptable framework that can house various people and…