Elmaghraby Design House, in collaboration with Professor Dr. Gamal El-Kholy, takes over the rehabilitation of a disused lecture hall at Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. The project has resulted in a significant addition to the campus, a multi-functional theater that introduces a new architectural identity through adaptive reuse. The architecture demonstrates a sustainable approach by reactivating an existing structure rather than initiating new construction, aligning with broader goals of resource efficiency and architectural preservation.

At the center of the design concept is the metaphor of the theater curtain, which informs both the programmatic transition and the architectural expression. The new facade, composed of a transparent glass curtain wall system and a series of parametric aluminum louvers, embodies this idea. The louvers, configured to respond dynamically to light and perspective, modulate transparency and shadow, giving the building a variable presence depending on time and viewpoint. This facade system also provides environmental performance by offering solar shading while maintaining visual openness. The glass curtain wall establishes visual continuity with the campus environment, reflecting adjacent structures and reinforcing contextual integration. Simultaneously, the parametric aluminum elements introduce a contemporary architectural language that distinguishes the theater from its more conventional surroundings.

contextual view blending new and existing elements | all images courtesy of Elmaghraby Design House

Ain Shams University Theater stands as the campus landmark

Internally, Elmaghraby Design House’s architectural team reorganizes the program to support dual academic and cultural functions. A fully equipped theater with a 550-seat capacity has been introduced, designed to accommodate a wide range of performances and events. In addition, two-tiered lecture halls, with a combined capacity of 1,200 students, extend the building’s usability for educational purposes. This hybrid configuration enables the structure to serve as both a learning environment and a cultural venue, fostering interdisciplinary interaction and community engagement.

By retaining the original structure and reimagining its function, the project minimizes material waste and conserves embedded energy. The intervention reinforces the role of architecture in evolving institutional identity, where form, function, and context are reassessed to meet contemporary needs. The Ain Shams University Theater now stands as a campus landmark, articulating a renewed commitment to cultural expression, academic versatility, and sustainable transformation through architectural design.

revitalized landscape creating vibrant campus edges

main entrance framed by dynamic aluminum fins

louver detail contrasting with soft landscape elements

the facade design draws from the metaphor of a theater curtain

vertical louvers animate the facade with movement

glass reflects the surrounding buildings, bridging old and new

close-up of louvers revealing layered depth and texture

aluminum louvers modulate shadow and light based on orientation and time of day

detail of parametric louvers casting rhythmic shadows

elevation reflecting the new architectural identity

at night, the facade opens like a stage curtain

project info:

name: Ain Shams University Theater Rehabilitation
architects: Elmaghraby Design House | @designed.by.elmaghraby

lead architect: Ahmed El-Maghraby

collaborator: Prof. Dr. Gamal El-Kholy

client: Ain Shams Government
location: Cairo, Egypt

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

The post undulating aluminum curtain facade drapes over ain shams university theater in egypt appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

BBWORKSPACE’s extension for a café in Chiang Mai wraps an outdoor terrace in vibrant, iridescent panels that refract shifting colors across the space throughout the day. THE FACETS sits within a district in Thailand known for its gemstone trade, and it explores how the optical, tactile, and symbolic properties of this craft might be translated into an immersive spatial experience. Through calibrated materials, light-responsive surfaces, and sculptural detailing, the building is transformed into a physical reflection of the objects it quietly references.

The intervention unfolds across two crystalline volumes. The original structure has been preserved and wrapped in a rhythmic grid of clear glass blocks, alternating in two sizes to evoke the structured clarity of a cut gem. The chromatic restraint — white, silver, and translucent — allows the renovated volume to glow softly at night, echoing the interior illumination of a display case. This luminous quality evokes the moment when a stone is brought into light. To the side of this, a newly built extension introduces contrast by referencing the faceted geometry of a diamond. The Thai practice forms this addition from a steel frame clad in dichroic acrylic panels that shift color throughout the day. As the sun moves, the facade glints with iridescent pinks, blues, and yellows, casting light and shadow in subtle motion.

all images by Rungkit Charoenwat

bbworkspace extends the café through two interventions

Inside, BBWORKSPACE transitions the concept from polish to origin, reimagining the pre-refinement state of a gemstone. The architects have shaped wall surfaces to suggest geological strata and stone caves, textured and matte, which contrast the high-gloss elements dispersed throughout. A sharply angular mirrored counter produces a refracted floor glow, while ceiling-suspended acrylic panels catch light and breeze with quiet movement. Throughout, the palette also remains light in form and tone to recall aquamarine, amethyst, citrine, and garnet, while furniture forms are abstracted from raw mineral shapes, but rendered with contemporary finish and transparency.

The garden at THE FACETS softens the geometry. A free-form pond loops through the outdoor seating area, doubling as a reflective surface for the architecture. Surrounding foliage is also carefully considered to provide contrast to the crystalline clarity of the buildings, and a low curved wall built from handmade clay bricks subtly reintroduces a local material tradition, grounding the project in place and providing a textured counterpoint to the sleekness of the café volumes.

BBWORKSPACE creates an extension for a café in Chiang Mai

the intervention at THE FACETS unfolds across two volumes

this extension introduces contrast by referencing the faceted geometry of a diamond

made from a steel frame clad in dichroic acrylic panels that shift color throughout the day

the space transformed into a physical reflection of the objects it references — the gemstone

the facade glints with iridescent pinks, blues, and yellows, casting light and shadow in subtle motion

the garden at THE FACETS softens the new geometries

inside, the architects have shaped wall surfaces to suggest geological strata and stone caves

BBWORKSPACE integrates calibrated materials, light-responsive surfaces, and sculptural detailing

the renovated volume glows softly at night

project info:

name: The Facets

architect: BBWORKSPACE | @bbworkspace

location: Chiang Mai, Thailand

lead architect: Kotchakorn Piraban

lead interior designer: Jarasphong Cheuapool

photographer: Rungkit Charoenwat 

The post iridescent panels evoke gemstones at BBWORKSPACE’s thai café, refracting shifting hues appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

DeepForest³ is a microbial architectural installation developed by ecoLogicStudio in collaboration with the University of Innsbruck and the Bartlett UCL. The project is part of the We the Bacteria: Notes Toward Biotic Architecture exhibition at the 24th International Exposition of La Triennale di Milano, curated by Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley. The installation proposes a domestic space structured as an active microbial ecosystem. It utilizes biotechnological systems to establish a functional relationship between architecture, biological processes, and environmental conditions. The spatial arrangement includes components that perform photosynthesis, biodegradation, and carbon storage, forming an integrated biotic infrastructure.

At the center of the installation are three types of architectural components: Photosynthesizers, Biodegraders, and Carbon storers. Photosynthesizers, filled with 50 liters of living cyanobacteria, actively capture CO₂ from the gallery environment and convert it into oxygen and biomass. These glass vessels are arranged to form a breathable membrane, both wall and filter, alive with metabolic activity. Biodegraders, built from 3D printed bark-like shells made of algae biopolymers, host living mycelium networks. These fungi feed on spent coffee grounds, a readily available urban waste, and grow into dense, fibrous forms that line the space like living insulation, mimicking salvaged birch trunks but grown from synthetic matter. Carbon storers, such as reclaimed wood elements and active lichen colonies, integrate with these systems to stabilize and reframe the aesthetics of waste as beauty, turning the byproducts of decay into architectural ornament.

all images by Xiao Wang, courtesy of ecoLogicStudio and the Synthetic Landscape Lab

ecoLogicStudio merges biology with digital fabrication

The design strategy followed by ecoLogicStudio’s team aligns the architectural system with Italy’s history of landscape engineering, drawing a comparison between historical interventions and microbial resilience. The spatial configuration compresses forest ecologies into a controlled interior scale. Floor and wall assemblies incorporate engraved and porous substrates, enabling air exchange, moisture retention, and microbial colonization. ‘We are now more and more aware that our own nature is cyborgian and collective, and that our own identities extend far beyond the limits of our bodies. We are microbial ecosystems, we are algorithmic networks. It is a necessary consequence that our home becomes an extension of these ecosystems and networks. Our home is our microbiome,’ shares Prof. Claudia Pasquero.

The installation emphasizes visibility of technical systems. Algae growth chambers, mycelial substrates, air and CO₂ pumps remain exposed, functioning as both operative systems and formal features. This approach integrates the mechanical and biological processes into the architectural language rather than concealing them. ‘The installation aims to celebrate the first time microbial architecture enters the Italian temple of design, the Milano Triennale. I think this is an epochal moment. For this reason, we took great care in its design and detailing. DeepForest³ is really more than just a temporary installation, it delivers a fully functional and tangible biotechnological living system, grounded in the metabolic cycles of algae and fungi, but brought to life through bespoke digital design and unique material craftsmanship,’ comments Dr. Marco Poletto.

DeepForest³ installation presented at the 24th International Exposition of La Triennale di Milano

DeepForest³ exhibits open-source biotechnological integration

A secondary feature of the installation is the Zolla bench, made from modular cork blocks and honeycomb cardboard base. The bench is designed for live mycelium cultivation, which gradually transforms the surface through colonization and mushroom growth. This component demonstrates real-time material transformation and user interaction with biologically active surfaces. The installation supports cyclical material use, passive environmental modulation, and open-source system integration. It is conceived as a domestic prototype for future biotechnological applications in architecture, emphasizing accessible and distributed cultivation of photosynthetic and fungal organisms within built environments.

DeepForest³ forms part of an ongoing research initiative by ecoLogicStudio and the Synthetic Landscape Lab. Parallel projects include Tree.One, Bio.Lab, FundamentAI, and CryoflorE, which extend this inquiry across multiple international venues including the Venice Architecture Biennale, Bundeskunsthalle Bonn, and MUDAC Lausanne. The installation opens to the public on May 12th, 2025.

visible systems turn the walls into a living, cyber-organic laboratory

air pumps circulate air and CO₂, supporting algae and mycelium growth

engaged with the living installation

Carbon storer made from reclaimed trees and 3d printed barks

Carbon storer made from reclaimed trees and 3d printed barks

Photosynthesizers and AIReactor in action

Zolla bench is composed of mycelium colonizing cork, with mushrooms starting to sprout

project info:

name: DeepForest³

designer: ecoLogicStudio | @ecologicstudio

location: Milan, Italy

lead designers: Prof. Claudia Pasquero, Dr. Marco Poletto

commissioner: Triennale di Milano

exhibition curators: Beatriz Colomina and Mark Wigley

academic partners: Synthetic Landscape Lab IOUD Innsbruck University, Urban Morphogenesis Lab BPRO The Bartlett UCL

design team: Prof. Claudia Pasquero, Dr. Marco Poletto, Jasper Zehetgruber, Francesca Turi, Alessandra Poletto

prototyping support team: Jonas Wohlgenannt, Korbinian Enzinger, Felix Humml, Bo Liu, Mika Schulz, Michael Unterberger, Marco Matteraglia, Beyza Nur Armağan, Beatriz Gonzalez Arechiga and Xiao Wang

photographer: Xiao Wang

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

The post ecoLogicStudio reimagines domesticity through microbial installation at triennale milano appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

The Czech Pavilion at EXPO 2025 Osaka, designed by Apropos Architects, is structured around the concept of a continuous spatial spiral. The pavilion is composed primarily of wood and glass and includes a 260-meter visitor path that gradually ascends through four levels, ending at an observation deck 12 meters above ground level. The form references traditional Czech architectural elements and responds to the Expo’s theme of ‘life energy’ through its physical and conceptual emphasis on movement and transformation.

The translucent glass facade functions both as an enclosure and a light-modulating surface. Made of artistic glass plates, it draws on the Czech tradition of glassmaking while facilitating varied lighting conditions throughout the day. These changes affect the interior experience and contribute to the atmosphere of the exhibition spaces. At the building’s core lies a multifunctional cylindrical auditorium, a black box space structurally and programmatically entwined with the surrounding gallery. Within, large-scale works by Czech creatives, including Rony Plesl, Jakub Matuška (Masker), Lasvit, and Lunchmeat Studio, construct a layered visual narrative in dialogue with the pavilion’s spatial choreography.

all images by BoysPlayNice

Cross-laminated timber and glass plates shape the exterior

For the structural system, Apropos Architects’ design team uses cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels made from spruce. These panels form the primary load-bearing framework, including the embedded staircases and elevator shaft. Horizontal slabs connect and support both the outward-facing exhibition spiral and inward-facing balconies of the auditorium. The full structure reaches a height of 16 meters and is segmented into 36 parts. The lower levels form a circle, gradually transitioning into an elliptical footprint at higher elevations. The interior finishes emphasize exposed wood elements and restrained material palettes. A skylight at the roof level provides views of the auditorium from above, while large-scale glass openings allow for outward views of the surrounding sea and cityscape. Accessibility is ensured via a lift located on the western side of the structure. The architectural design facilitates physical circulation, passive environmental modulation, and integration of exhibition content, aligning with the Expo’s broader thematic focus.

The pavilion’s external space is finished with wooden decking and integrated seating areas. These outdoor elements accommodate resting and gathering for both visitors and passersby. Inside the pavilion, the gallery features a sequence of large-scale artistic installations. These include a crystal sculpture by Rony Plesl, a continuous wall painting by Jakub Matuška (Masker), and a multimedia installation by Lunchmeat Studio. Additional works include a bronze sculpture by Alfons Mucha and a glass piece titled ‘Herbarium’ by Lasvit.

spiral path wraps around the pavilion, guiding visitors through four levels

pavilion structure composed of cross-laminated timber and glass

spiral design reflects the pavilion’s central concept of continuous motion

large artistic glass plates form a translucent facade

the glass facade references Czech glassmaking traditions

a 260-meter route leads to a rooftop deck 12 meters above ground

wall painting by Jakub Matuška follows the ascending path

skylight above auditorium introduces daylight and vertical views

art installations integrate with architectural flow

crystal sculptures by Rony Plesl displayed inside the gallery

spiral walkway interacts visually with the auditorium core

wooden exterior decking and benches support outdoor use

pavilion footprint shifts from circular to elliptical across levels

project info:

name: Czech Pavilion EXPO 2025 Osaka
architect: Apropos Architects | @apropos.architects

location: Osaka, Japan

photographer: BoysPlayNice | @boysplaynice

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

The post translucent glass facade outlines czech pavilion’s spiral form at expo 2025 osaka appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

In Trà Vinh, southern Vietnam, DA VÀNG studio has wrapped its Crystal Pavilion residence with a curved facade composed of over 3,000 glass bricks. This envelope functions as both a filter and an interface along the street front, gently diffusing daylight into the house’s interior while maintaining a degree of privacy from those passing by outside.

For the Vietnamese studio, the project is underpinned by a broader ambition to explore how material precision and environmental performance can converge in a densely layered urban setting. Continuity is fostered throughout, from the thresholds and the materiality to the lightness, inspired by the principles of organic architecture. Spatial volumes are interlocked rather than compartmentalized, allowing air and light to flow naturally across multiple levels, while a green system is integrated throughout, functioning as a tranquil visual relief and also as a microclimatic buffer. Regulating the internal environment ensures to purify air, reduces ambient temperature, and introduces layers of vegetal density to an otherwise compact plot.

all images by MinqBui

the glass brick facade & microclimatic buffers foster Continuity

DA VÀNG studio’s execution of the glass brick facade demanded both technical dexterity and structural precision, with the curvature requiring careful modulation in both support and joinery to ensure consistency across thousands of modular units. At the same time, the thermodynamic challenges of such a surface, particularly in Vietnam’s tropical climate, were addressed through the addition of a central skylight and a cross-ventilation strategy, balancing transparency with comfort.

A rooftop garden completes the project’s vertical gradient, extending the green infrastructure to the uppermost level. Its inclusion required close attention to structural load distribution, drainage, and plant selection, to create a roof that supports biodiversity and insulation, and reinforces the project’s core principle positioning the home as a living, evolving system.

DA VÀNG studio completes Crystal Pavilion

featuring a curved facade composed of over 3,000 glass bricks

a family home in Trà Vinh, southern Vietnam

continuity is fostered throughout, from the thresholds and the materiality to the lightness

a central skylight and a cross-ventilation strategy balances transparency with comfort

a green system is integrated, functioning as a tranquil visual relief and a microclimatic buffer

juxtaposed with the textures of stone

the warm finish of wood leads throughout Crystal Pavilion

spatial volumes are interlocked rather than compartmentalized

the facade diffuses daylight inside while maintaining a degree of privacy from the street front

project info:

name: Crystal Pavilion

architect: DA VÀNG studio | @davang.com.vn

lead architect: Nguyễn Đắc Anh Quân

location: Tra Vinh city, Vietnam
photographer: MinqBui

The post curved facade of 3,000 glass bricks wraps DA VÀNG studio’s translucent house in vietnam appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

South African artist Ralph Ziman revives a reclaimed MiG-21 fighter jet by covering it with millions of colorful glass beads. It has taken the artist a total of five years to complete his multidisciplinary installation, which is set to debut at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, starting June 21st, 2025. The exhibition project forms part of the artist’s Weapons of Mass Destruction series. Before the Soviet-designed supersonic aircraft, he has also applied vibrant glass beads to a Casspir military vehicle as well as wired sculptures of AK-47 assault rifles.

For the MiG-21 fighter jet, his hand-applied colorful glass beads completely cover the fuselage, wings, and tail surfaces. They create a uniform skin over the jet’s original structure, giving the once utilitarian aircraft a bright, beaded makeover. Ralph Ziman’s geometric precision, surface texture, and dense patterning appear evident in the project. It results in a fully transformed Soviet-designed and Cold War-era aircraft, shimmering in colors.

all images courtesy of Ralph Ziman

Museum of flight exhibits vibrant mig-21 fighter jet

Visitors to the exhibition at The Museum of Flight, which runs between June 21st, 2025 and January 26th, 2026, can even look inside the art-turned MiG-21 fighter jet by Ralph Ziman. Alongside the aircraft, the show features original art objects connected to the project’s design. These include flight suits fabricated by the artist and his team.

The suits are based on the silhouette of traditional pilot gear, all the while incorporating the same beaded aesthetic, along with Afrofuturist design elements. They serve as wearable extensions of the aircraft’s new surface treatment. There are also videos and photographs on view, documenting the reworking of the beaded MiG-21 fighter jet.

Ralph Ziman revives a reclaimed MiG-21 fighter jet by covering it with millions of colorful glass beads

From fighter aircraft to a work of art

The museum also installs new exhibits detailing the jet’s original history. Archival material outlines the aircraft’s design and its use during the Cold War, along with examples of how military airframes like the MiG-21 have been repurposed for civilian or artistic uses after their retirement from service. Ralph Ziman says that the aim of the MiG-21 fighter jet project is ‘to take the most mass-produced supersonic fighter aircraft and to turn it from a machine of war into something that looks beautiful and changes the meaning of it.’

it has taken the artist a total of five years to complete his multidisciplinary installation

the project is set to debut at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, starting June 21st, 2025

visitors can even hop onto the art-turned MiG-21 fighter jet by Ralph Ziman

the colorful glass beads completely cover the fuselage, wings, and tail surfaces

side view of the reclaimed supersonic aircraft

the beads create a uniform skin over the jet’s original structure

detailed view of the beadwork

detail of the cockpit and flight stick replaced with a lowrider style steering wheel | photo by Paul Duran-Lemos

project info:

exhibition name: The MiG-21 Project

artist: Ralph Ziman | @afrika_47

model: MiG-21 fighter jet

museum: The Museum of Flight | @museumofflight

dates: June 21st, 2025 and January 26th, 2026

location: 9404 E. Marginal Way South Seattle, Washington, US

The post reclaimed supersonic MiG-21 fighter jet radiates again with ralph ziman’s colorful glass beads appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Ronan Bouroullec and Vincent Van Duysen craft a series of fused-glass installations for Wonderglass during Milan Design Week 2025. Titled Poetica, the exhibition at Istituto dei Ciechi runs between April 8th and 12th, displaying the recent works of the designers. The scenography is complemented by the wallpaper designs from Calico Wallpaper and a special contribution by Officine Saffi Lab. Two days before the opening, designboom speaks with Ronan Bouroullec and Vincent Van Duysen in the exhibition’s venue about their creations for Wonderglass.

The French designer presents two collections: Architettura per Fiori developed in collaboration with Officine Saffi Lab, as well as the installation Vetrofuso Spazio. With the Belgian architect and designer, he introduces Optô, a series of tables and panels designed from perforated fused glass. Both of the renowned figures respond to the theme of poetry. Ronan Bouroullec stages his installation in a white box, suspending his tapestry-like thin glasses with colored strips as the scenery for his translucent cast glasses and enamelled ceramics. In front of these, Vincent Van Duysen lays down his perforated panels and tables made from fused bits of glasses. His collection looks illuminated as the white lighting of the floor passes through the transparent material.

all images courtesy of Wonderglass, unless stated otherwise | photos by Antonio Managò 

Interview with Ronan Bouroullec and Vincent Van Duysen

Ronan Bouroullec tells designboom that he treats the making of Architettura per Fiori and Vetrofuso Spazio as research, not as products or pieces. The former presents a series of arch-shaped, almost-opaque glasses with a couple of modular enamelled ceramic vases around them. For the latter, the renowned designer creates an overlapping layer of thin green circular glasses, taking the shape of a cloud or tree. ‘What you see here is something certainly new: glass linked together by fusion,’ the designer shares with us during our interview. He’s discussing the process of fusing shards of bits of glasses to produce the collection, the same approach that the architect and designer Vincent Van Duysen applied to his series of tables and a panel.

The translucent cast glass can stand on its own as a design object. When asked why he has created the enamel ceramic vases, the Ronan Bouroullec explains that ‘we are in a time where deep enamel has disappeared.’ In a way, he’s bringing that craftsmanship back. ‘I’m in love with this fusion technique, as well as with the vases that could be placed in different ways: in front, in the back, on the side. You emphasize the transparency of the glass and the fact that it’s blurred using the flowers. Then, here is this delicate screen made of thin glass, which is part of the exhibition. I think, overall, everything is working,’ the designer shares with designboom.

exhibition view of Poetica at Istituto dei Ciechi in Milan, Italy

Poetic landscape inside Istituto dei Ciechi for wonderglass

The white background allows the vibrant glass installations of Ronan Bouroullec to stand out, making them seemingly float. He says that the design is intentional, a reminiscence of the tesserae glasses in the cathedrals when the sunlight shines on them from outside. From afar, some of the pieces do resemble suspended as the white light blends with the transparent glass. The autumnal colors become another point of our discussion. ‘I like to work with color, but I don’t know exactly how to speak about it. It’s very intuitive, my way of using color palette. What is interesting, this series is almost like a watercolor drawing; something very faint with a contrast color,’ he says.

Ronan Bouroullec admits that his color palette has evolved over time. One thing that stays with him is the use of these light shades, the hues visitors can find in nature. Aside from the use of natural colors, the essence of shape for the designer comes through. ‘They have personal meaning to me,’ he says. ‘But I try to build a sort of theory of form, trying to find a certain type of harmony or elegance more than a meaning. It’s more a question of how to reach delicacy, to reach a certain beauty with almost nothing. Some of them are circular, some of them have a more modest shape or form. When you combine or link them together, you generate something that is quite surprising.’

view of Ronan Bouroullec’s Architettura per Fiori and Vetrofuso Spazio glass installations in Milan

With Vincent Van Duysen, his glass series Optô comprises two tables with hand-blown design pieces and a curved screen, all of which have equally sized holes around them. He explains to designboom that the name of the series comes from the ancient Greek word, which means optic or vision. ‘It’s a whole perforation. It can be a cut – a cut that allows light to come in or that creates an opening – where there is a play between light and shadow. The pieces then create that duality between closeness and openness, which produces that playfulness of light,’ he shares with us. For the architect and designer, the screen symbolizes a barrier, a protection from something.

With it being translucent, it offers a poetic significance, which harks back to the name of the exhibition, Poetica. ‘This is a playful take on translucency versus opacity,’ he adds. Then, the two tables, both of which emerge by fusing shards or bits of glass together. The idea of a screen returns through the two panels held together by mouth-blown glass tubes. They have the same diameter as the perforations. A few of these glass tubes penetrate through, resembling vases and even drinking glasses. ‘You can take them out and replace them. You can play with them. They give a kind of freedom for the users to create their own combinations,’ says Vincent Van Duysen, noting that these structures circle back to his own architectural ethos.

Architettura per Fiori presents a series of arch-shaped glasses with modular enamelled ceramic vases

Frosted water and even oxygen come to Vincent Van Duysen’s mind during the making of Optô for WonderGlass. He interprets beauty in his pieces as fresh and light, even if they weigh physically. There’s that duality again, the interplay between physicality and visual lightness. ‘The use of fused glass enhances the fact that these pieces are very poetic, that they also belong not only to the world of construction and architecture but also to humanity and to the world of nature,’ says the architect and designer. Like Ronan Bouroullec, it’s quite an invited foreign territory for Vincent Van Dusyen to work with glass.  He uses it in his architecture projects as well as product designs and object pieces.

With WonderGlass, he and founder Maurizio Mussati decide to use a glass-fusing technique for the installations. The step allows him to bring out a new form of invention and artistry from him. Past the use of glass, the architect and designer admits he mostly sticks to natural materials, saying, ‘I love it when pieces are crafted and derived from natural materials. I also use technology, but it is mostly a hidden factor, an underlying design element. I still believe in real craftsmanship, where you still feel the hands and the humanity in the manufacturing of the pieces. This is the beauty of the piece, and that’s what I feel more connected with.’

detailed view of the cast glass and enamelled ceramics for WonderGlass

Vetrofuso Spazio is a series of overlapping layer of thin green circular glasses

exhibition view of Vincent Van Duysen’s Optô

Optô comprises a collection of tables and a screen

the glass tables and screen have a perforated design

the mouth-blown glass tubes penetrate through, serving as containers and even vases

Optô is an interplay between contrast and shadow through light

project info:

name: Poetica

designers: Ronan Bouroullec, Vincent Van Duysen | @ronanbouroullec, @vincentvanduysen

brand: WonderGlass | @wonderglassltd

wallpaper: Calico Wallpaper | @calicowallpaper

studio: Officine Saffi Lab | @officinesaffi.lab

installation location: Istituto dei Ciechi in Via Vivaio, 7, Milan, Italy

dates: April 8th to 12th, 2025

photography: Antonio Managò | @antoniomanago

The post ronan bouroullec and vincent van duysen on making their wonderglass installations in milan appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Hermès returns to La Pelota for Milan Design Week 2025, presenting its new home creations in a white, nearly colorless landscape of suspended boxes projecting halos of bright colours onto the ground. On view for the public from Wednesday, April 9th, to Sunday, April 13th, in the heart of Brera, the new Hermès collections spotlight the poetics of glass — explored here through a range of artisanal techniques that highlight its texture, transparency, and depth.

As every year, the scenography is designed by Charlotte Macaux Perelman, architect and artistic director of Hermès collections for the home with Alexis Fabry. Contrary to the 2024 installation, which presented a study on materiality with a focus on earthy, raw materials, this year the interior of La Pelota immerses visitors in a light, ethereal space 

that feels like being suspended between the clouds. The experience encourages a slower pace, and rather than revealing everything at once, the partially enclosed display zones discretely reveal glimpses of Hermès’ latest collection only in part. Contained within them, the vases, jugs, tables, trays, and throws accentuate transparency, texture, and capacity for emotion.

designboom steps inside the Hermès showcase ahead of the public opening to speak with Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry about the Maison’s new collections and the scenography at La Pelota. ‘There is no real, defined space, there’s just the reflection,’ Macaux Perelman tells us. ‘It’s about the glow, the aura, the emotional presence of these objects that goes beyond their actual shape.’ Read on as we explore how Hermès’ ease with ‘silent virtuosity’ gave way for this new collection to be realized, and how these intangible concepts were spatially translated in the immersive installation at Milan Design Week.

installation images by Maxime Verret, courtesy of Hermès

A SCENOGRAPHY OF WHITE SUSPENDED BOXES AND BRIGHT COLOR HALOS

Hermès’ showcase at this year’s Milan Design Week transforms La Pelota into a quiet, almost weightless scenery, and distills the act of discovery into a delicate kind of ritual. Set within a white landscape, the suspended volumes, each housing the new Hermès home creations, emmit a colorful glow at their base. These halos, gentle and precise, serve as the only markers in the space, turning the floor into a shifting grid of light.

This year, the focus turns to materiality, and particularly glass. Shaped using techniques such as blowing, casing, and fusing, the glass pieces in the collection explore subtle shifts in opacity, thickness, and hue. Casaque, for example, is a series of colored mouth-blown glasses cut by artisans to form striped and chequered patterns with infinite precision. Doublé d’Hermès alongside this presents oversized vases made of combined molten materials using the casing technique, superimposing up to seven successive layers of glass. A leather cuff wraps around it, contrasting the textures and tones of the glass base. The Pivot d’Hermès side tables by Tomás Alonso, meanwhile, feature lacquered glass painted in vibrant compositions. The rounded tabletop juxtaposes a rectilinear base, placing a round box in sugi (Japanese cedar), its band curved using an ancient Japanese technique and engaged in unexpected emotion. 

Glass is joined by accents of leather, wood, and textile pieces — materials also chosen for the way they interact with light and space. In textile, the Striped Dye and H Partition throws have been crafted in complex compositions, with the latter by Amer Musa shaped from 24-carat gold powder applied to a fine, hand-woven cashmere chevron design in an ivory colour. Read on for our full interview with Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry where we discuss the various artisanal glassmaking techniques that brought the collection to life, Hermès’ philosophy, and their journey so far as they celebrate a decade of steering the creative direction of Hermès Home Collections. 

Points et plans by Amer Musa | 100% hand-woven cashmere, appliqué on ikat-woven stripes

INTERVIEW WITH Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry

designboom (DB): The idea of the ‘box’ representing the latent object is quite poetic. Can you elaborate on how this abstract idea translates into the tangible design process for the new collections? And how do the themes of transparency and light inform this year’s scenography?

Charlotte Macaux Perelman (CMP): Every time we leave Milan, on the plane back we’re already talking about ideas for the following year. That’s exactly what happened this time too.

Last year, we spoke of materiality – everything based on the land, the ground. This year, the subject is not as quantifiable. It’s about glow, aura, the emotional presence of these objects that goes beyond their actual shape. We weren’t sure we were going to be successful in conveying that, and the scenography really highlighted the fact that there is no real, defined space. There’s just the reflection. And so, there’s the search for an emotional presence, but this is something you can’t really calculate.

Pivot d’Hermès side table by Tomás Alonso | colored lacquered glass, pivoting round box in sugi (Japanese cedar), inner pad in rose thé Epsom calfskin

DB: It’s interesting to see this contrast with last year’s darker, earthier scenography. This is year we see much more lightness and color. In the collection itself, too. Can you elaborate on the collection’s exploration of various artisanal glassmaking techniques that made this possible? Which specific qualities of glass drew you to this material?

Alexis Fabry (AF): Here, we see to what extent the envelope that is the frame which surrounds an object is important. I don’t believe that this year’s collection is more varied, more colored than that of other years, but it is in comparison to the whiteness of the context that they appear to be. So, this is proof that context is important for a design object.  

As for the glass… It’s funny, but we realized that there were many different techniques used this year to create these objects. It’s not that we looked for them. It’s just that the objects themselves requested specific know-hows which we had to look for in Italy and in France. Each master glassmaker had their own specific requirements. For instance, we opted for semi-industrial glass for the lower part of Tomás Alonso’s tables.

lacquered glass topped with sugi (Japanese cedar)

DB: Can you walk us through your collaboration with the glassmakers? How did the process evolve and how much of the final outcome is defined by the technique itself?

CMP: I believe that that is why all these objects are all so very different. We respected the specific know-hows, and we had to look for experts in Italy who knew how to carry out this fusion technique and work with the different colors. For example, for one of the glassworks, we have different layers superimposed. We first have the transparent base, and then on top, we have the other colored layers, and cut through reveal parts of the colored section.

So, the results depend on the technique. It was a collaborative process between the team and the craftsmen. All the objects are different, so we had to look for the right artisan in order to achieve this different quality of work. And they responded, therefore, to the need to translate loyally the design.

Doublé d’Hermès vase, by Studio Hermès | mouth-blown colored glass, cuff in Epsom and Evercolor calfskin

DB: That kind of intricate process seems to extend to the rest of the collection, and not just the glass pieces. You mentioned earlier during the tour how long it takes to work with artisans across the collection, even when the final result looks effortless. Could you speak a bit more about about that?

CMP: What’s really great about Hermès is that time is our ally, and that’s the real luxury. We can wait, and we have the time we can offer to our craftsmen and to their work.

AF: This morning we were actually trying to list all the different features and characteristics of the collection, and your question touches on one of them — virtuosity. The virtuous nature of the object of the craft is not looked for as an end to itself. It is the know-how, which indicates what can be achieved in this way, and letting that guide the result. So, we’re not exalting the demonstration of the technique in itself.

CMP: A good example of this is the striped throw. It’s been hand-spun and woven, using three different sets of stripes. It’s also been dip-dyed using a special method that puts different colors on each side, which then interact with the woven patterns. You don’t realize what’s dye and what’s weaving. It’s actually a very complicated technique involving superimposed treatments, careful knotting… We hope people feel that richness, even if they don’t immediately see the labor behind it.

AF: In Hermès we feel very much at ease with this silent virtuosity. We just know that we’ve created the right objects. We’re happy with that and everything else is just beyond us.

Casaque glasses

DB: To end, you’ve been at the creative wheel of Hermès Home Collections for a decade now. How would you reflect on your journey so far? How do you see the collection evolving in the coming years?

CMP: There are so many different know-hows — for textile, porcelain, lacquer, wood, and indeed glass. We have always been obsessed with these different articulations.

And what obsesses us now? Well, we’ve always said that we wanted to create different things with, however, the same values. So along this path now, for the future, we’re perhaps tempted to do the opposite of what we used to do at the beginning which was harmonizing and articulating. Now, we’re interested in perhaps introducing novelties, even accidents. We want to be surprised by the work.

AF: We also like to add layers to the process to make it more interesting and more abrasive. A good example is Tomás Alonso’s table. It arrived at just the right time, perhaps, as a few years ago, it might’ve been harder for us to accept because it balances craft with a more industrial model. Tomás is typically like a tightrope walker. In the past, we might have leaned more toward the craftsmanship approach. Now, we’re more open to that balance.

Summer Dye throw | 100% hand-woven and hand-dyed cashmere

DB: It feels like a very subtle shift, this way of moving forward that doesn’t follow trends so much as it follows your own rhythm.

CMP: Yes, there’s no leitmotif because each object is unique. We try to do our work seriously, but at the same time, joyfully too, It’s got to be fun. We say what has not been said in the past and at the same time we try to be in harmony with Hermès.

AF: One of the characteristics of Hermes is that they encourage this joyful renewal. Pierre-Alexis Dumas pushes us in this direction, so we are free. There are no guidelines.

Striped Dye throw | 100% cashmere, spun, woven and dyed by hand, knotted ligatured fringes

transparent mouth-blown glass cased with colored glass

Hermès en contrepoint by Nigel Peake | extra-white porcelain

Hermès unveils Collections for the Home 2025 at Milan Design Week

Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry | image by Sylvie Becquet

project info:

name: Collections for the Home 2025
brand: Hermès | @hermes

artistic directors: Charlotte Macaux Perelman, Alexis Fabry

event: Milan Design Week

location: La Pelota, Milan

dates: April 9th–13th, 2025

photographer: Maxime Verret | @maxverret, Sylvie Becquet | @sylviebecquet

The post interview: Hermès stages home collections in white suspended boxes at milan’s la pelota appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

You would think that after years of captivating audiences at Milan Design Week, Lasvit would find it difficult to outdo its previous exhibitions. Yet, the Czech designer and manufacturer manages to surpass itself every time. For Euroluce 2025, running from 8–13 April, Lasvit returns with an immersive installation titled ‘Soaked in Light.’ Drawing on research that shows how vast bodies of water can activate the parasympathetic nervous system – our body’s natural counterbalance to stress – the company translates this phenomenon into glass and light, creating an environment designed to slow the heart rate, deepen breath, and foster a sense of calm.

At the heart of the installation is ‘Splash,’ a mesmerizing glass sculpture by Martin Gallo, accompanied by a new design concept from renowned designer Patrick Jouin, and two collections by Lasvit’s Art Director Maxim Velčovský and designer Jan Plecháč, which further expand on Lasvit’s legacy of blending Bohemian glassmaking with contemporary forms.

Lasvit returns to Milan Design Week 2025 with ‘Soaked in Light’ | all images courtesy of Lasvit

A FUSION OF GLASS AND LIGHT AT MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2025

At Hall 6, Stand C39 D38, Lasvit shapes a sensory space that offers a tranquil retreat from the bustling atmosphere of Milan Design Week 2025. Designed by Lexová&Smetana, the booth reflects the fluidity and serenity of water, inviting visitors to experience the delicate interplay between glass and light. 

The Czech glass company has a long history of using nature as inspiration to create its art pieces. Whether designing architectural glass installations or exquisite lighting sculptures, Lasvit’s personalized approach results in site-specific masterpieces found in iconic landmarks, cultural institutions, and private residences around the world.

at Hall 6, Stand C39 D38, the Czech glass company creates a sensory space, reflecting the fluidity of water

‘SOAKED IN LIGHT’ PRESENTS GLASS SCULPTURE BY MARTIN GALLO

‘Splash,’ the signature piece of Lasvit’s ‘Soaked in Light’ installation, designed by Martin Gallo embodies the essence of fluidity. Inspired by the emotional and physical qualities of water, the glass and light sculpture explores how water’s ever-changing forms evoke a range of feelings – from the stillness of a serene pond to the joy of splashing in puddles or the raw power of a rushing river.

According to Martin Gallo, the inspiration for this installation lies in water’s constant motion. ‘Water is never still; it carries emotions, memories, and movement,’ explains the designer. ‘With Splash,’ Gallo continues, ‘I wanted to capture its fleeting moments – how a single drop can ripple into something vast, how light dances on the surface, and how water, like glass, holds both stillness and energy within it.’

visitors are invited to experience the delicate interplay between glass and light

at the heart of the installation is ‘Splash,’ a mesmerizing glass sculpture designed by Martin Gallo

as the signature piece of Lasvit’s ‘Soaked in Light’ installation, the sculpture embodies the essence of fluidity

project info: 

name: Soaked in Light

company: Lasvit | @lasvitdesign

featured designers: Martin Gallo | @matogallo; Patrick Jouin | @patrick.jouin; Maxim Velčovský | @maximvelcovsky; Jan Plecháč | @jan.plechac

booth design: Lexová&Smetana | @lexovasmetana

location: Hall 6, Stand C39 D38, Fiera Milano Rho, Milan

dates: 8-13 April, 2025

The post lasvit’s glass & light installation helps recharge energy amidst the rush of milan design week appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

For Desert X 2025, Kimsooja transforms the landscape into a luminous mirage with To Breathe – Coachella Valley, an iridescent glass installation that interacts with the surroundings. Located along Pierson Boulevard in Desert Hot Springs, the work is wrapped in a diffraction film that refracts natural light into a shifting spectrum of colors, immersing visitors in an ephemeral experience of light, air, and space.

Expanding on the artist’s exploration of bottari—traditional Korean fabric bundles used for carrying belongings—the spiraling piece also forms a connection with AlUla, Saudi Arabia, where another of her light-based works is located (find designboom’s previous coverage here), uniting the two arid regions.

Desert X 2025 installation view of Kimsooja, To Breathe – Coachella Valley | all images by Lance Gerber, courtesy Desert X

to breathe – coachella valley connects landscapes

Throughout her multidisciplinary practice, conceptual artist Kimsooja examines themes of movement, materiality, and interconnectedness. The transparent, textile-like film covering To Breathe – Coachella Valley features a grid of vertical and horizontal scratch lines, akin to warp and weft, which dissolve the boundaries between structure and environment. As the desert sun moves across the sky, the installation becomes a living canvas, continuously transforming in response to shifting light.

The work also forms a conceptual bridge between two distant landscapes: the Californian desert and AlUla, Saudi Arabia, where another of Kimsooja’s light-based installations is situated. This dialogue between sites reflects her ongoing engagement with the universality of natural elements—air, light, and land—while subtly referencing the Light and Space movement’s historical roots in the American West. Infused with philosophies from Chinese Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, the piece incorporates an East Asian perspective into the lineage of site-specific light-based art.

Kimsooja transforms the vast expanse of Coachella Valley into a luminous mirage

‘To Breathe – Coachella Valley’ is an iridescent glass installation that interacts with the landscape

the work is wrapped in a diffraction film that refracts natural light into a shifting spectrum of colors

immersing visitors in an ephemeral experience of light, air, and space

Kimsooja examines themes of movement, materiality, and interconnectedness

the spiraling piece also forms a connection with AlUla, where another of her light-based works is located

the film covering To Breathe – Coachella Valley features a grid of vertical and horizontal scratch lines

dissolving the boundaries between structure and environment

as the desert sun moves across the sky, the installation becomes a living canvas

continuously transforming in response to shifting light

infused with philosophies from Chinese Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism

at dusk, the installation reflects the desert landscape

the glass acts as a filter, altering the appearance of the surroundings when viewed through it

To Breathe – Coachella Valley is located along Pierson Boulevard in Desert Hot Springs

project info:

name: To Breathe – Coachella Valley

artist: Kimsooja | @studiokimsooja

event: Desert X | @_desertx

location: Coachella Valley, California

dates: March 8th – May 11th, 2025

supported by: Ed Campanaro and Alan Weisberg, Ron Florance, Marcy and Harry Harczak, the Posner Foundation, Janelle Reiring, Melissa and John Russo, Roswitha Smale, and Richard H. Wood

photographer: Lance Gerber | @lance.gerber

The post kimsooja floods coachella valley in iridescent light with glass installation at desert X appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.