Lignatool's Jig for Cutting Precise Timber Joints with a Chainsaw

Imagine trying to cut these joints in timbers:

Now imagine trying to cut those with a chainsaw. It would be impossible—freehand. Thus Lignatool, an Austrian manufacturer of woodworking tools, developed this jig. It's called "Schnittführung für Kettensägen," which translates to "cutting guide for chainsaws."

Note that the steel band mounted above the blade acts like a riving knife, ensuring the cut doesn't close when you're in the middle of it. This makes kickbacks and jamming virtually impossible.

The chainsaw can also be mounted perpendicular, allowing you to cut tenon...

Hugo Passos' Cork Trivets

These handsome trivets are by P ortugese industrial designer Hugo Passos.

Made entirely of cork, they come in two different diameters: 160mm (6.3") and 200mm (7.9").

These are in production by British brand Crane Cookware. (I won't provide a link to that company because, embarrassingly for them, at press time their website had been hacked to feature ads for "Best Non Gamstop [sic] Casinos.")

The Cork Trivets are available at Jasper Morrison Shop. The smaller size runs £24 (USD $30.24), the larger £30 (USD $37.80).

Madras Spaces creates rural Indian home using "only what was necessary"

Indian studio Madras Spaces has completed The Threshold House, a farmhouse in Tamil Nadu built using a locally sourced palette of repurposed brick, timber and tiles.

Surrounded by agricultural fields in the small village of V Thuraiyur, the compact 93-square-metre home was the result of a simple client brief that prioritised local materials, daylight and natural ventilation.

Chennai-based Madras Spaces gave a third of the site's footprint over to a patio, wrapped by brick walls punctured by perforated openings and overlooked by a balcony shared by the first-floor bedrooms.

"The site was...

Honor's Robot Phone is a smartphone with an articulating arm

Chinese electronics company Honor has previewed a smartphone with an articulating robot arm at this week's Mobile World Congress.

Described by Honor as "a new species of smartphone", the Robot Phone was reimagined to take advantage of new AI capabilities. The company likened it to "packing a robot into a smartphone".

Shown as a concept at previous events but now said to be launching in late 2026, the phone features a small robotic arm topped with a gimbal-based 200-megapixel camera.

The motorised gimbal system enables the phone to record more professional-looking video that...

Formafantasma creates "intentionally banal" set for Marni's Milan Fashion Week show

An office chair, a lighter and a close-up of a PDF on a laptop are among the everyday scenes hand-painted on canvases by design studio Formafantasma for the set of Marni's Autumn Winter 2026 show at Milan Fashion Week.

The set provided the backdrop for Belgian designer Meryll Rogge's debut show as the creative director of the Italian fashion brand.

Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of Formafantasma constructed the scenography from floor-to-ceiling dark wooden frames and mirrored panels spread across a brightly lit room at Marni's headquarters in Milan.

Various rectilinear canvases were...

Plans for Barbican revamp get go-ahead

British architecture studios Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan Studio's plan to renew the Barbican Centre have received planning approval from the City of London Corporation.

The £231 million upgrade will involve restoring and improving accessibility in the brutalist landmark, including in its foyers, lakeside terrace and conservatory.

Named the Barbican Renewal Programme, Allies and Morrison and Asif Khan Studio designed the intervention to be focused on conservation while also introducing alterations that would ensure the Grade-II listed building's long-lasting future.

Working with engineering studio Buro Happold, the revamp is expected to commence in 2027 in...

AB+AC Architects uses natural materials and sculptural furniture for House of Green Patios

Lebanese-Italian studio AB+AC Architects has created an "urban retreat" with terracotta floors in Lisbon, Portugal, for clients who wanted to feel like they were living in the countryside.

The 158-square-metre home in central Lisbon, which was renovated by AB+AC Architects, has a large terrace and a number of smaller patios. The studio gave it a refresh for a growing family that wanted to have a refuge in the city.

"The clients deliberately wanted to feel as if they were living in a countryside home despite being in the very centre of Lisbon,...

Heatherwick, MVRDV and Mecanoo among shortlisted designs for "new world wonder"

Dutch social venture Shift has revealed the five shortlisted designs in a competition to design "a new wonder of the world" to promote action against climate change.

Heatherwick Studio, MVRDV, Mecanoo, Office for Political Innovation and Ecosistema Urbano are all competing to design the €240 million landmark in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The brief calls for " a 100 per cent sustainable landmark" that inspires people to take action against the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Planned for the emerging waterfront district of Waterkant, the 30,000-square-metre building will incorporate a 10,000-square-metre immersive experience, a...

The Lookback

FWA of the day 04 March 2026:

The Lookback

Project Link

Digital capsule for Better Off® studio to document what inspired them and what they created over the last months/years.

#FOTD #thefwa

Gavin Schneider Productions

Gavin Schneider Productions is a Cape Town–based, full-service film and stills production company.