The strange science behind design: materials from unusual sources

From clothing made from crab compounds to recycled blue jeans worked into your Ford Fusion, innovation in textile manufacture and design is getting weirder – and more sustainable

Upcycling case history: from firehose to luxury goods

Design partnership Elvis & Kresse explain how they created
desirable bags and belts from London Fire Brigade’s waste

Designs of the Year: chairs that make you fidget and a piano from the future

From the Pro Chair that makes schoolkids squirm to an all-black piano, plus Prada and Zaha Hadid, here are the seven category winners from the Designs of the Year

Will the buildings of the future be grown underwater?

In a new exhibition, Michael Pawlyn lays out his vision for architecture inspired by the natural world – including biorock buildings grown entirely underwater and whole office blocks being lit by learning from the blind sea star

Sensing Spaces: Architecture Reimagined – review

Royal Academy, London
The Royal Academy’s ambitious look beyond the purely visual aspects of architecture is full of surprises

Gallery: see some of the installations from Sensing Spaces

Zaha Hadid’s first commission in New York City

World renowned Zaha Hadid Architects announced the first commission in New York City. Togther with Related Companies, New York’s premier residential developer, the world-class architect and the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize will design a boutique condominium adjacent to the High Line at 520 West 28th Street in Chelsea just south … Read more