Reviving an Ancestral Hawaiian Tradition, Lehuauakea Reimagines Kapa in Bold Textile Works

“My favorite thing about kapa is that it is simultaneously ancestral, ancient, and contemporary,” says Lehuauakea (Kanaka Maoli), who recently received the Walker Youngbird Foundation grant for emerging Native American artists. Kapa, the Indigenous Hawaiian practice of clothmaking, uses the inner bark of the wauke, or paper mulberry tree, to create garments and textiles. For Lehuauakea, the technique forms the foundation of a practice rooted in the artist’s Hawaiian lineage and material traditions.

Softening the fibers enough to create cloth requires a labor-intensive method of soaking pieces of bark. Through an arduous process of beating and stretching with tools like the...

Omno Lab creates bee-watching cabin from black carbonised wood

Architecture studio Omno Lab has designed the wooden Shannan Beehive Observation Cabin in Tibet, which was informed by traditional Tibetan architecture.

The bee-watching cabin is located amidst the mountains in Jieba Township, Tibet, in what was originally an orchard 60 years ago.

Omno Lab designed the cabin to provide a space for visitors to experience honey harvesting, for which Tibet is known, while learning about the environment.

"This is a rural revitalisation project," the studio said.

"Through this initiative, we hope to attract more visitors to learn about the local culture and natural environment,...

KOREAN LEGEND 2

Muji Muji 5.5 house is filled with objects made from hacked Muji products

Paris studio 5.5 has repurposed classic products from Japanese brand Muji to create the fixtures and furniture for a modular "manifesto house" unveiled during Milan design week.

The Muji Muji 5.5 house features six interchangeable modules, filled with objects made from Muji products, including storage boxes, baskets, hooks and kitchenware.

These objects include chairs from sets of drawers, a screen door glazed with box lids, shelves made from wooden trays and a kitchen sink formed of a plastic tub.

Claire Renard and Jean-Sébastien Blanc, founders of 5.5, created step-by-step instruction diagrams for 12...

RSHP designs chain of residential towers for Jumeirah waterfront

British studio RSHP has revealed plans for Peninsula Dubai, a group of 10 interconnected buildings containing a hotel and residences overlooking the water in Jumeirah, Dubai.

Developed by H&H Development, the chain of buildings will be united by angular forms finished with screens and louvres and arranged by RSHP to create shaded public spaces along the waterfront.

Six low-lying buildings will sit at the centre of the complex, bookended by two pairs of taller towers. The heights of the buildings are yet to be disclosed.

"This project is a celebration of Dubai's bold vision and...

"There has never been a true 'transition' away from coal, oil – or even wood"

Earth Day this year is focused on shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy but the concept of the energy transition is deeply flawed, writes Jean-Baptiste Fressoz.

The global history of energy is not a story of substitution, but of accumulation. There has never been a true "transition" away from coal, oil, or even wood.

In 2024, wood still generated twice as much energy as nuclear power. That same year, despite the growth of renewables, emissions from the electricity sector continued to rise. The thrilling narrative of technological progress often conceals a more monotonous reality: a steady layering of materials and energy sources,...

VY Architecture Studio tops Indian house with wave-like concrete roof

A wave-like roof formed of earth-toned concrete ribbons shelters a patio at the heart of this house in India, which has been completed by local practice VY Architecture Studio.

Named Vaazh House, the 1,500-square-foot (139-square-metre) home in Vedanthangal, Tamil Nadu, was designed for a family seeking a space to "relax and unwind" away from their busy life in nearby Chennai.

Looking to create a close connection with the site's natural surroundings, which includes India's oldest bird sanctuary, VY Architecture Studio organised the house around a traditional Tamil patio or thinnai. The studio then...

Arno Hoogland builds "temple of the future" from robotically carved MDF

Dutch designer Arno Hoogland has developed a technique for transforming MDF panels into walls and furniture with hypnotic 3D textures.

In a solo exhibition for Milan design week, Hoogland showed how he uses a robot to carve intricate patterns into the surface of MDF, the engineered wood also known as medium-density fibreboard.

The show, titled Deus Ex Machina, saw the Amsterdam-based designer construct a "temple of the future" out of these digitally crafted panels.

Hoogland also presented chairs, tables and tiles made from the material, including some with a silver metallic finish.

Lina Ghotmeh, Linda Boronkay and Ana Maria Duran Calisto named Dezeen Awards judges

Architects Lina Ghotmeh and Ana Maria Duran Calisto have joined the judging panel for Dezeen Awards 2025, alongside interior designer Linda Boronkay and Basic.Space founder Jesse Lee.

Dezeen Awards, in partnership with Bentley, champions the world's best architecture, interiors and design.

So far, the programme has received entries from over 70 different countries across the world, underlining its position as the world's most popular architecture, interiors and design awards programme and ultimate benchmark for success. There's still time to submit your projects. Enter by Thursday 29 May to avoid late entry fees.

Each year, winners are selected by a prestigious panel of industry...

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