Why cork is becoming sustainable design’s favourite material
Members of the design world are on a mission to locate materials that bring us closer to achieving sustainability targets, while also being beautiful and long-lasting. Cork is becoming a prime candidate. When we think of cork, we’re likely imagining popping open a celebratory bottle of champagne or pinning our...
Current in Design
Utrecht’s newest apartment block will become a vertical forest
The Dutch city of Utrecht is getting a new apartment building covered in 10,000 plants and trees. It will emit 41 tons of oxygen annually once it is completed in 2024. In imagined depictions of a utopian future, it’s very often that we see views of cities full of...
Coca-Cola launches AI art contest using ChatGPT-4 and DALL-E 2
Coca-Cola is launching a competition prompting AI fans to create digital art using its iconic imagery. The best submissions will be showcased on billboards in Manhattan and London. The possibilities for generative AI are pretty much endless, and yet the assignment here is to create the coolest image possible… featuring...
Three ways bioplastics are being turned into everyday objects
Once we find the right formulas, the use of eco-friendly bioplastics can be applied to create virtually any object. From its uses in the fashion industry to valuable pieces of art and even furniture-making, let’s take a look at some of the latest designs using bioplastic. I probably don’t have...
ChopValue is turning throwaway chopsticks into furniture
The Canadian-based company has just diverted its hundred-millionth chopstick away from landfill. These throwaway items are being transformed into furniture and even resturant interiors at McDonald’s. When tucking into some lunchtime ramen, we scarcely think about how our chopsticks came to be or where they will ultimately end up. Well, for...
Paper pins to replace traditional Remembrance Day poppies
Looking to reduce the waste produced by a commemorative day celebrated across the UK, the Royal British Legion embarked upon a three-year journey to replace the traditionally plastic poppies with upcycled paper pins. Every year in November, 45 million poppy pins are sold in Britain as the nation prepares to...
NEOM provides fresh updates on its latest luxury island project
The Saudi-based architecture firm NEOM has gotten to work on a handful of futuristic projects in recent years. Now, it’s announced new details of its plan for Shushah Island. Those involved with urban planning are now faced with major challenges in light of our mounting environmental and resource crises. Experimentation, innovation, and consideration of nature will be vital when building architectural landscapes of the future. Striving to become a kingpin in developing...
Saudi Arabia is set to build another super skyscraper
The latest futuristic design coming out of Saudi Arabia is a 19 sq km structure to be based in Riyadh named The Mukaab. In recent months, Saudi Arabia’s abundance of oil money has sparked the design of some absolutely insane architectural projects. First was The Line, put forward by the design company Neom. The one-trillion-dollar project will essentially be its own massive city in the middle of a desert once it’s...
How discarded cocoa beans are turned into eco-friendly materials
Only half of every cocoa bean harvested is utilised to make food products, with the rest going to waste. A team of Italian-Ecuadorian designers saw this as an opportunity to generate a material that would transform the traditionally linear and wasteful commercial cocoa industry into a circular one. We’re suckers for design, innovation, and sustainability at Thred. Take an approach that combines all three and… well, we’re sold. That’s what the...
The female golden resistance takes centre stage in Manhattan
Across New York City’s Flatiron district, a rare and long overdue golden resistance is taking place. Havah…to breathe, air, life is a new public project showcasing a duo of female-figured sculptures. Created by Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander, Havah…to breathe, air, life aims to address recent ‘setbacks to women’s constitutional progress’ following significant events such as the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the reversal of Roe v. Wade last...
