Concept Nemonic Dot comes in two: a printer and a mobile app that converts spoken and typed words into printed stickers and labels with Braille for the visually impaired. With this, users can create labels by typing or using voice input, and the app also provides contextual keyword suggestions, which helps reduce mistakes and improves clarity. Because the translation is handled automatically, users do not need to understand Braille rules or formatting.

Once the text is ready using the mobile app, the accompanying device produces Braille using a proprietary pressing mechanism, which creates raised dots that are 0.6 millimeters high, matching international Braille standards. The uniform height and spacing of the dots ensure that the Braille is comfortable and easy to read for the visually impaired users. The printer itself is designed to be used without sight, so its physical form uses tactile textures, allowing the visually impaired users to operate it independently after using the mobile app.

all images courtesy of Mangoslab

Compact printer uses pressing mechanism for the braille

Aside from the dedicated mobile app, the design of the printer is user-friendly for the visually impaired. In fact, the design team at Mangoslab says that loading cartridges, aligning materials, and activating printing can all be done through touch. The machine features an eyes-free design to support the full independence of the users and avoid the need for assistance. The device is also battery-powered and connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth, so it does not need a fixed workspace or wired setup. 

This makes it suitable for homes, pharmacies, schools, offices, and public buildings, and its compact size allows it to be carried and used in daily routines, such as labeling food, medicine, documents, or equipment. Once applied to the real-world scenarios, both the mobile app and the printer can help the visually impaired be more aware of the labels around them. They can print the expiration dates for their food, mark their household items, and even label their personal items. The team behind Nemonic Dot, the Mangoslab, introduced the compact device at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, and so far, there’s no news yet on the concept device’s potential availability.

Nemonic Dot comes as a printer and mobile app for the visually impaired

detailed view of the printer with metal label tape

the app also provides contextual keyword suggestions

the sticker tapes can be made of different materials like metal

project info:

name: Nemonic Dot

design: Mangoslab | @nemonic.kr

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Until May 17th, 2026, the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich, England, presents Seeds of Hate and Hope, an exhibition that brings together artists’ personal and political responses to some of the most devastating acts of violence of the 20th and 21st centuries. Set within the Centre’s wider investigative season titled Can We Stop Killing Each Other?, the show examines how art has confronted genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and crimes against humanity through reflection, memory, and acts of resistance rooted in lived experience.

Seeds of Hate and Hope focuses on how artists process and translate trauma into form. The exhibition features works by Mona Hatoum, William Kentridge, Zoran Mušič, Peter Oloya, Kimberly Fulton Orozco, Indrė Šerpytytė, Gideon Rubin, and Ishiuchi Miyako, among others. Across different geographies and generations, these artists bear witness to conflict through strategies that include abstraction, erasure, material transformation, and symbolic gesture. 

Mona Hatoum, Hot Spot, 2006. Stainless steel, neon tube. Courtesy of the David and Indrė Roberts Collection. © Mona Hatoum. All rights reserved, DACS 2025 | image by Stephen White, courtesy of White Cube

Seeds of Hate and Hope positions art as witness

Key works featured in the exhibition include William Kentridge’s Ubu Tells the Truth (1997), which confronts the violence and injustice of apartheid-era South Africa through his distinctive animated language. Gideon Rubin’s Black Book (2017) systematically redacts every page of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, emptying the text of its ideological force while leaving behind a stark material trace. Ishiuchi Miyako’s photographic series documents everyday objects once owned by victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, using absence and intimacy to register loss. Mona Hatoum’s Hot Spot (2006) presents a glowing, red-lined world map, a vision of a planet that, as Hatoum has described, is ‘continually caught up in conflict and unrest.’ Alongside these are bronze sculptures by Peter Oloya, whose practice is shaped by his experiences of violence and displacement during conflict in northern Uganda, translating personal history into tactile, enduring forms.

Curated by Tafadzwa Makwabarara, Curator of Cultural Empowerment at the Sainsbury Centre, together with independent curator, writer, and EMPIRE LINES podcast producer Jelena Sofronijevic, the exhibition frames art as both a witness to atrocity and a tool for healing. Drawing on individual stories and shared histories, Seeds of Hate and Hope explores how resilience and resistance often emerge under extreme conditions and how creative acts can counter forces of dehumanization, prejudice, and hate speech. 

installation view of Dante Elsner, 1985-1990. Copyright of the artist | image bu Kate Wolstenholme

Sainsbury Centre rethinks the museum as a space for empathy

The exhibition forms part of the Sainsbury Centre’s ongoing rethinking of the museum as a living, relational space following its radical relaunch in 2023. Seeds of Hate and Hope sits alongside four other concurrent exhibitions within the Can We Stop Killing Each Other? season, including Tiaki Ora ∞ Protecting Life: Anton Forde, Eyewitness, Roots of Resilience: Tesfaye Urgessa, and The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour: Reflections on Peace. Together, they ask whether empathy, creativity, and cultural production can meaningfully intervene in cycles of violence, and whether hope can be actively chosen over harm.

Supported by exhibition research funding from the Jonathan Ruffer grant from the Art Fund, Seeds of Hate and Hope underscores the Sainsbury Centre’s long-standing commitment to presenting art from across global histories and contexts on equal terms. Housed within Sir Norman Foster’s first public building, the museum continues to position art as a living force, one capable of helping societies confront their most difficult questions.

Peter Oloya, Politrick, 2023 | © image courtesy of the artist and Pangolin London

installation view of Peter Oloya, 1979-2023. Copyright of the artist and Pangolin London. | image by Kate Wolstenholme

(left and middle) Ishiuchi Miyako, ひろしま/hiroshima#71 donor: Hatamura, T, 2007. ひろしま/Hiroshima, #102, #104, #113, #114, #115 Donor: Hagimoto, T, 2014. Copyright: Ishiuchi Miyako. Courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery. (right) Jananne Al-Ani, production still from the film Shadow Sites II, 2011. Copyright of the artist

Ishiuchi Miyako, ひろしま/hiroshima#71 donor: Hatamura, T, 2007. Copyright: Ishiuchi Miyako. Courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery

Gideon Rubin, Black Book, Joseph Goebbels giving a speech, gouache on printed paper, (p.484), 2017. Courtesy of the artist

Installation view of Gideon Rubin, Black Book, 2017. Copyright of the artist | image by Kate Wolstenholme

Gideon Rubin, Black Book, Adolf Hitler covered over, gouache on printed paper (p.16), 2017. Courtesy of the artist

Denzil Forrester, The Rose, 2014. Compressed charcoal, charcoal and graphite on paper. Copyright: Denzil Forrester. Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and New York. image by Todd-White Art Photography

Installation view of Dima Srouji, She Still Wears Kohl & Smells Like Roses, 2023. Copyright of the artist | image by Kate Wolstenholme

Zoran Music, We are not the last (Nous ne sommes pas les derniers), 1975, lithograph on paper. Courtesy of the Sainsbury Centre Collection. © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2025

David Cotterrell, Mirror IV: Legacy, 2015, video. © David Cotterrell, 2018.  | image courtesy of the artist

Installation view of Sue Williamson, Truth Games, 1998. Copyright of the artist. Courtesy Goodman Gallery | image by Kate Wolstenholme

Installation view of Rushdi Anwar, We have found in the ashes what we have lost in the fire, 2018. Copyright of the artist | image by Kate Wolstenholme

project info:

name: Seeds of Hate and Hope

venue: Sainsbury Centre | @sainsburycentre, University of East Anglia

location: Norwich, United Kingdom

dates: 28 November 2025 – 17 May 2026

curators: Tafadzwa Makwabarara, Jelena Sofronijevic,

featured artists: Mona Hatoum, William Kentridge, Zoran Mušič, Peter Oloya, Kimberly Fulton Orozco, Indrė Šerpytytė, Gideon Rubin, Ishiuchi Miyako

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Aumens introduces a wooden compass with a single red arrow to help lead people with dementia safely to their homes. Activating automatically when picked up and turning off when placed down, the device has no power button to remember, no startup sequence, and no confirmation screen. Movement here becomes the interface, and this design choice removes one of the most common failure points in assistive devices: forgetting to turn them on. There’s a recessed button, hidden from casual contact, that can only be pressed with a pin. 

When pressed near the front door, the device stores that location as ‘home’ to avoid any accidental resets while walking. Once outside, the wooden compass for people with dementia has no options. This means it doesn’t ask where the user wants to go. It only ever points home. The team says that there have been studies behind the project that show that changing modes or meanings caused confusion for the user, so the device only leads the user to their homes. Optional vibration and sound cues support the visual arrow, and the team adds that these alerts are not alarms but reminders to help the users remember to hold or look at the device.

all images courtesy of Aumens

Aumens co-designs the device with over 100 users

The wooden compass began with a problem that is both practical and deeply personal: people with dementia can lose their sense of direction even in familiar neighborhoods. A short walk to the grocery store can turn into a stressful and dangerous situation, not because the route has changed, but because orientation has. The purpose of the device is to guide someone home and nothing else. That focus shaped every design decision. From the start, the project rejected screens, maps, menus, and notifications.

Instead, it centers on a single, persistent action: follow the arrow. Research led by Prof. Dr. Ir. Rens Brankaert showed that people with dementia respond better to clear, physical cues than to abstract digital information. The wooden compass was co-designed with more than 100 people living with dementia, along with their partners, family members, and caregivers. Early prototypes were tested, rejected, simplified, and tested again, which involved a three-month pilot and 30 people with dementia using the working device every day. In the end, the users were reluctant to return the device, a reinforcement for the team to proceed with the release. Aumens plans to launch the Compass in 2026, with a subscription that includes connectivity, the caregiver app, and continuous updates.

Aumens introduces a wooden compass to help lead people with dementia safely to their homes

the device activates without a power button and as soon as the user picks it up

the user sets the ‘home’ location by pressing a recessed buttton with a pin

the team plans to release the device in 2026

project info:

name: Compass

design: Aumens

The post wooden compass with single red arrow leads people with dementia to their homes appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

As 2025 comes to an end, we’re reflecting on the architecture, design, and technology projects featured on designboom that applied creative thinking to address compounding global pressures. Designers increasingly turned their attention to urgent realities, such as intensifying climate-driven disasters and growing resource scarcity. In a year marked by record-breaking temperatures, ongoing displacement crises, and growing debates around waste, water, and energy systems, design emerged not as a passive backdrop but as an active tool for response. Shaped by these shared challenges, these works demonstrate how design can move beyond aesthetics to function as infrastructure, service, and social support. Together, the 2025 social impact stories highlighted here point to a growing emphasis on design as a practical response to global issues, showing how spatial thinking, material innovation, sustainability, and community engagement can contribute to more equitable and resilient futures.

From flood-proof bamboo pavilion within Yasmeen Lari’s zero-carbon Pono village in Pakistan, and Natura Futura’s teak wood bakery, conceived as a hybrid infrastructure led by women and youth, to Toyota’s autonomous wheelchair with foldable tentacle legs that can climb stairs, and Ulf Mejergren’s compact gabled refuge that mounts on a mobile scissor lift to adapt to environments with frequent rainfall and flooding, here are the top 10 social impact stories that addressed pressing social, environmental, and cultural challenges.

REFUGE MOUNTS ON SCISSOR LIFT IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

image courtesy of Oskar Omne

We are kicking off our list of socially impactful projects with Lift House by Ulf Mejergren Architects (UMA). The project introduces a compact gabled timber house refuge mounted on a mobile scissor lift. Designed for an exhibition setting, the work explores architecture’s capacity to adapt to changing environmental conditions. The installation responds to increasing climate instability, including more frequent rainfall and flooding, by proposing a structure that can temporarily rise above the ground when necessary. The concept is structured around three primary strategies for managing environmental risk: defend, attack, and retreat. Lift House suggests a fourth option, temporary retreat, introducing mobility and flexibility as means of resilience.

read more here 

BAMBOO SHAPES FLOOD-PROOF PAVILION IN PAKISTANI VILLAGE

image courtesy of Nyami Studio

As flooding continues to displace communities worldwide, designs shift from mobile shelters to permanent, locally rooted frameworks for resilience. In the flood-prone region of Sindh, Pakistan, the Juliet Center anchors a prototype development for resilient, community-driven architecture led by Yasmeen Lari. Within the Pono Village, conceived by the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan following the devastating floods of 2022, this new bamboo pavilion creates a flexible, open space to empower local residents. The project has thus been completed by Nyami Studio and Jack Rankin with a strong social focus, responding directly to the area’s environmental and economic vulnerabilities that intensified after 2022.

Extending Lari’s broader vision to foster self-sufficiency through vernacular techniques, the Juliet Center is built with low-cost and eco-friendly materials, including bamboo, mud, lime, and thatch. It is shaped as a lightweight, vaulted structure that recalls the traditional domed forms familiar in Sindh, while translating them into a sinuous, modular silhouette. Within the open form framed by bamboo columns, it creates an inviting setting for spontaneous community gatherings while providing a space to host educational workshops, upskilling locals in sustainable building techniques.

read more here 

3D PRINTED CORAL REEFS IN MIAMI FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

image courtesy of Florida International University and Sara Pezeshk

Moving beyond flood-responsive architecture on land, other projects turn to rising sea levels and underwater environments, exploring how design can restore marine ecosystems. Architects and marine biologists at Florida International University develop BIOCAP tiles, a series of 3D printed coral reefs that combat climate change by creating cooler microenvironments. Designed to support marine life, these modular tiles reduce the impact of waves along the seawalls. They are designed to help water cities like Miami adapt to the rising sea levels, all the while restoring the ecological balance along the shorelines.

The researchers, led by Sara Pezeshk and Shahin Vassigh, enumerate some ways that the 3D printed coral reef seawalls can help fight climate change. Each BIOCAP tile, for example, has shaded grooves, crevices, and small, water-holding pockets. Because of these, they mimic the natural shoreline conditions. They also construct tiny homes for barnacles, oysters, sponges, and other marine organisms that filter and improve water quality. Design-wise, the BIOCAP tiles have swirling surface patterns that increase their overall surface area. On top of that, they give the marine life more space for colonization.

read more here 

3D PRINTED DEVICE EXTRACTS DRINKING WATER DIRECTLY FROM AIR

image courtesy of Louisa Graupe and Julika Schwarz

While some designers address rising sea levels and coastal protection, others focus on freshwater scarcity, developing technologies that extract safe drinking water from the atmosphere itself. Designed by Louisa Graupe and Julika Schwarz, Water from Air is a mobile device that extracts potable water directly from the atmosphere using advanced material technology. The prototype addresses the increasing global demand for accessible drinking water by employing Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), a class of materials known for their high porosity and capacity for selective absorption. These materials are capable of capturing water molecules from ambient air and releasing them as usable freshwater. Research into MOFs is currently underway at institutions including the Institute for Materials Chemistry at the University of Vienna and the University of California, Berkeley.

At any given time, the atmosphere holds more water than all of Earth’s rivers combined. Water from Air is a design response that translates this scientific potential into a functional product. While MOFs have predominantly been studied in laboratory contexts, this project proposes a real-world application through a compact, scalable, and energy-independent form.

read more here 

ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES REUSED AS PLANT FERTILIZERS

image courtesy of Teona Swift

Moving from 3D printed devices that turn air into potable water, we look into other innovations transforming post-consumer waste into valuable resources, closing the loop in sustainable material cycles. Engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee have developed a way to recycle used lithium iron phosphate batteries from electric vehicles into crop and plant fertilizers. These materials, commonly used in EVs, delivery vans, and buses, are just disposed of when they reach the end of their life, usually after ten years. The researchers hope that by repurposing these used batteries as fertilizers, they can help the agriculture industry and reduce the traditional recycling methods, which are considered costly and complicated, given that the recovered materials from the process, like iron and phosphate, don’t cost much and make battery recycling more expensive than it is.

The engineers, led by Dr. Deyang Qu, the Department Chair of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, use a chemical method called ion exchange, a process already used in many industries, such as water purification. In this recycling system, the IX process helps replace lithium ions with hydrogen or potassium ions using resin, which works like a filter that can swap certain elements for others. Two types of resins are used to recycle the used batteries from electric vehicles: strong acid cation resins and K-form (potassium-based) resins.

read more here 

EGGSHELLS COMPOSE BIODEGRADABLE MODULAR BUTTERFLY NEST

image courtesy of Jayoung Kim, Jungmin Park, and Chaewon Lee

We now move to design interventions that support urban ecosystems, such as this shelter that creates microhabitats for pollinators. EggNest is a sculptural, modular structure developed by Jayoung Kim, Jungmin Park, and Chaewon Lee as a shelter for butterflies in urban settings. Constructed from eggshells and soil, it offers a microhabitat that facilitates pollinator activity and supports vegetation such as moss and flowers. The project addresses the need for biodiversity integration within cities.

As urban environments present challenges for maintaining biodiversity, EggNest proposes a shared ecological space where both human and non-human species can coexist. Rather than designing exclusively for one group, the structure balances environmental and functional needs, creating a compatible setting for butterflies and urban dwellers alike. The system is composed of adaptable modules that respond to varying urban contexts. The modular design is informed by expert input, particularly regarding the thermal and humidity conditions needed for butterfly survival. Gaps between modules allow for the growth of moss and flowering plants, supporting humidity retention while visually functioning as urban planters.

read more here 

SOLAR-POWERED BACKPACK PROVIDES SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS

image courtesy of HomeMore Project

From microhabitats that nurture urban biodiversity, we turn to design solutions that provide immediate, practical support for people navigating vulnerable conditions. The Makeshift Traveler is a solar-powered backpack by HomeMore Project that comes with a sleeping bag and pillow and supports individuals looking for permanent housing. An initiative by the HomeMore Project, the accessory is tailored to the needs of the individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness, allowing them to sustainably navigate their situation until they obtain permanent shelter.

Looking at the design of the solar-powered backpack, the hardshell exterior allows for a weatherproof surface so the individuals’ personal belongings are safe and stashed inside regardless of the environmental conditions. On top of it lies the solar panel that stores the energy within the accessory’s battery bank, letting the individuals charge their devices using a USB port. The latter part also features cables to charge the backpack as soon as the user has access to a wall charger. A urethane-coated nylon pillow is embedded in the bottom of the solar-powered backpack. In this way, users can rest without needing to bring an extra pillow, lockable using a double zipper system to ward off thieves and protect the individuals’ personal belongings, too.

read more here 

BAKERY DOUBLES AS WOMEN-LED LEARNING SPACE IN ECUADOR

image courtesy of Jag Studio

From providing mobile support for individuals to empowering entire communities, these projects demonstrate how design can address both immediate needs and long-term resilience. On Ecuador’s flood-prone coast, where rural communities have long depended on distant urban centers for opportunity, La Panificadora timber bakery by Natura Futura emerges as a self-managed catalyst for local autonomy. This compact, modular project reclaims the everyday act of baking bread, an Ecuadorian dietary staple, as a tool for economic empowerment, education, and community cohesion. The 100-square-meter structure is led by women and youth, enabling skills training, production, and commercialization under one roof.

La Panificadora is built from locally available teak wood and responds to the humid climate through permeable facades, lattice doors, and generous open galleries for cross-ventilation and light. Horizontal floating beams secure the modules above ground, ensuring resilience against coastal flooding. While minimal in size, the space is conceived as a hybrid of infrastructure, school, market, and gathering place.

read more here 

TOYOTA’S AUTO WHEELCHAIR WITH FOLDABLE TENTACLE LEGS

image courtesy of Toyota

We highlight individual mobility solutions, like this design that enhances autonomy at a personal scale.

Toyota reveals ‘walk me,’ a concept autonomous wheelchair with foldable tentacle legs that can climb stairs and sit on the floor. The assistive device helps people with reduced mobility to move around places where traditional wheelchairs aren’t able to, including walking up and down between floors and lifting the users to their cars. Toyota’s autonomous wheelchair replaces the traditional wheels with four robotic and foldable legs that move like animal limbs. 

Each leg can lift, bend, and adjust its position on its own, and this lets the device move across steps or rough ground. The seat has a supportive frame that holds the user in a safe and upright position, and the backrest curves to follow the shape of the user’s back. The user asks the device to move around using the small side handles or a control interface that can include buttons. The foldable legs of Toyota’s concept autonomous wheelchair also come with soft-looking outer covers to protect the inside parts as well as the sensors.

read more here 

AI KITCHEN DEVICE TURNS LEFTOVERS INTO PERSONALIZED RECIPES

image courtesy of Ayah Mahmoud and C Jacob Payne

Finally, this project reimagines everyday activities, illustrating how design can extend human capability. Developed at MIT, Kitchen Cosmo is a speculative AI cooking device that challenges conventional paradigms of smart kitchen technology. Rather than automating tasks or optimizing efficiency, Cosmo fosters a co-creative relationship between user and machine, generating personalized recipes based on available ingredients and six analog input parameters, including cooking time, mood, and dietary restrictions. The device uses GPT-4o, a multimodal large language model capable of processing both images and text in real time. A webcam captures the user’s ingredients; dials and switches communicate contextual preferences. A single API call then translates these inputs into a context-specific recipe, which is printed via an embedded thermal printer. Cosmo’s distinctive interface is entirely screenless and tactile, rejecting voice assistants and digital displays in favor of knobs, sliders, and physical ritual.

read more here 

see designboom’s TOP 10 stories archive:

2024 — 2023 — 2022 — 2021 — 2020 — 2019 —  2018 — 2017 — 2016 — 2015 — 2014 — 2013

The post TOP 10 social impact stories of 2025 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Es Devlin unveils Library of Us, a vast, glowing amphitheater of books, sound, and movement that serves as the major centerpiece of Faena Art Miami Art Week 2025. Marking ten years of Faena Art in Miami Beach, Devlin’s commission stretches across the shoreline as a kinetic, 6-meter-tall triangular bookshelf that rotates on its axis, its reflection amplified by a surrounding pool and a circular reading table that seats hundreds.

On view until December 7th, 2025, the installation acts as a public library, an illuminated sculpture, and an arena for collective reading, forming the core of a district-wide program of talks, performances, and communal rituals. Beyond its physical scale, Library of Us continues Devlin’s ongoing investigation into libraries as kinetic sculptures. Earlier in 2025 she presented Library of Light at the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, where daily collective readings drew nearly 200,000 visitors (find designboom’s previous coverage here). 

all images by Sunn Studio

a kinetic library that reorganizes time and encounter

At the center of the beach installation sits the 15-meter-long triangular bookshelf, holding 2,500 books and a continuous 10-meter LED line that streams text across its spine. The entire structure turns once every ten minutes, creating a quiet, perceptible drift that affects the people seated around it. Visitors read at a two-ring circular table, an outer circle that stays still and an inner circle that rotates with the sculpture, resulting in shifting perspectives. Every slow rotation introduces a new passage, a new neighbor across the table, and a subtle sense of shared temporality.

A 250-excerpt audio score, read by Devlin herself, lays out a polyphonic field of voices, memories, and literary fragments, underscored by music. Materials such as steel, marine plywood, mirror, water, and LED turn the beach into a reflective, fluid environment where text moves at the pace of tides and pages.

When the week concludes, all 2,500 books from Library of Us, supplied through a partnership with Penguin Random House, will be donated to public libraries, schools, and community organizations across Miami.

Es Devlin unveils Library of Us

reading room and tracing time expand the project indoors

Two additional commissions complement the beach installation and deepen Devlin’s study of reading, time, and community. In the Faena Cathedral, the Reading Room appears as a 14-meter bench with an integrated bookshelf and LED screen. The work is built from phrases contributed by the entire Faena hotel staff, housekeeping, gardeners, restaurant teams, security, maintenance, and long-time collaborators. Devlin reads these texts aloud throughout the day as the phrases rise along the display, offering a participatory portrait of a hotel rendered through the books, songs, and poems that shape the lives of the people who work within it.

Meanwhile, in the Faena Art Project Room, Tracing Time presents drawings and paintings on glass, paper, and TV screens. These works offer a close reading of Devlin’s process, its layers, repetitions, and mark-making, mirroring the slow accumulations that define her large-scale installations. Together, the three works form a rare survey of Devlin’s multidisciplinary practice, bridging sound, architecture, text, scenography, and performance through the shared concern of how communities gather around language. 

a vast, glowing amphitheater of books, sound, and movement | image by Oriol Tarridas

the major centerpiece of Faena Art Miami Art Week 2025

Devlin’s commission stretches across the shoreline as a kinetic, 6-meter-tall triangular bookshelf

the installation rotates on its axis | image by Oriol Tarridas

a surrounding pool reflects the bookshelf | image by Oriol Tarridas

a reading table that seats hundreds encircles Library of Us | image by Oriol Tarridas

the 15-meter-long triangular bookshelf holds 2,500 books | image by Oriol Tarridas

the entire structure turns once every ten minutes

a continuous 10-meter LED line streams text across its spine | image by Oriol Tarridas

an outer circle stays still and an inner circle rotates with the sculpture | image by Oriol Tarridas

every slow rotation introduces a new passage | image by Oriol Tarridas

steel, marine plywood, mirror, water, and LED turn the beach into a reflective, fluid environment

text moves at the pace of tides and pages

when the week concludes, all 2,500 books from Library of Us will be donated | image by Oriol Tarridas

a public library, an illuminated sculpture, and an arena for collective reading | image by Oriol Tarridas

project info:

name: Library of Us

artist: Es Devlin | @esdevlin

location: Faena Beach, Miami Beach, Florida

dates: December 1st–7th, 2025

commissioned by: Faena Art | @faenaart

The post es devlin’s triangular bookshelf rotates within a mirrored pool for miami art week 2025 appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

In the burn scar left by the 2022 wildfire in Sabinares del Arlanza – La Yecla Natural Park, Spain, Nomad Studio places Socarrado, a circular structure built entirely from charred juniper trunks recovered after the blaze. First conceived for the Uncommissioned Exhibition by Novo Collective, the work becomes a point of collective reflection for the communities of Santo Domingo de Silos, transforming damaged terrain into a site of memory, refuge, and healing. Its unexpected impact on visitors ultimately led local authorities in Burgos to keep the installation embedded in the landscape rather than dismantle it as originally planned.

The 15-meter-wide ring is assembled from blackened juniper trunks stacked concentrically, forming a dark perimeter that still bears the physical trace of fire. Their crowns extend outward across the terrain like the faint outline of a vanished forest, while the circular configuration recalls traditional Castilian enclosures once used to protect livestock. At the center, a three-meter-diameter cavity rises into a small vaulted chamber made from split trunks. A single opening at the apex allows a narrow shaft of light to pierce the dense timber mass.

The vertical weight of the charred wood, the scent of resin, and the subdued lighting inside the structure create an atmosphere that borders on ritual. The space concentrates attention on the surrounding land’s wounds while suggesting the possibility of renewal. ‘Socarrado encourages visitors to be present, value authenticity, and restore their essential bond with the land,’ notes Nomad Studio co-founder Laura Santín.

all images by Nomad, unless stated otherwise

a critical reflection on digital distance and fragile ecologies

Beyond the sculptural form of Socarrado, creative workshop Nomad Studio proposes a broader critique of how contemporary life distances people from their environments. The circle of burnt junipers becomes a counterpoint to a digital world that dilutes attention and distorts our sense of place. Its simplicity insists on pausing, focusing and reconnecting with what cannot be mediated by screens.

Residents, volunteers, local businesses, and partners participated directly in collecting material and assembling the work. Its realization was fully funded through collective contributions and supported by the Municipality of Santo Domingo de Silos, the Natural Park management, SOMACYL, Bombyte, and others.

In March 2026, the site will host ergo IGNIS, a performative action conceived by artist William Kingswood in collaboration with local performers. Designed as a ritual of awareness, the piece responds to the burned landscape and the communal energy that shaped Socarrado. After visiting the site, Kingswood described it as ‘a desolation, a return to nature, a refuge within a hostile landscape.’

Nomad Studio places Socarrado in the burn scar left by the 2022 wildfire in Sabinares del Arlanza, Spain

a circular structure built entirely from charred juniper trunks recovered after the blaze

the work becomes a point of collective reflection | image by Almudena Cadalso

transforming damaged terrain into a site of memory

its impact on visitors led local authorities to keep the installation permanently | image by Almudena Cadalso

assembled from blackened juniper trunks stacked concentrically | image by Almudena Cadalso

a three-meter-diameter cavity rises into a small vaulted chamber made from split trunks | image by Michael Heinrich

the circular configuration recalls traditional Castilian enclosures | image by Almudena Cadalso

a narrow shaft of light pierces the dense timber mass | image by Michael Heinrich

an atmosphere that borders on ritual | image by Almudena Cadalso

crowns extend outward across the terrain like the faint outline of a vanished forest | image by Michael Heinrich

a dark perimeter still bears the physical trace of fire | image by Michael Heinrich

project info:

name: Socarrado

architect: Nomad Studio | @thenomadstudio

location: Sabinares del Arlanza – La Yecla Natural Park, Burgos, Spain

area: approx. 200 square meters

support: Municipality of Santo Domingo de Silos, Park Management Office, SOMACYL, Bombyte, local collaborators

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At Custom Lane in Edinburgh, Doyenne Studio presents Feminine Literacy, an exhibition that repositions the word feminine as a design methodology with real systemic weight. Rather than associating it with style or softness, the curators describe it as ‘an approach that is collaborative, decentralized, non-linear, fluid, empathetic, and holistic,’ a definition that threads through the work of the 28 women and non-binary international designers featured across fashion, product, material innovation, and system design.

Running until December 7th, 2025, the showcase positions feminine literacy as a critical, future-oriented lens for working with materials, ecosystems, and communities, bringing together a wide range of works that translate these ideas into material and systemic experimentation, from ceramics made of industrial waste and endlessly recyclable biotextiles, to garments activated by bioactive organisms, regenerative British fibres, and chitosan-based biomaterials rooted in Galician craft. The exhibition spans mouth-blown Palestinian glass, acoustic tiles grown from plant roots, oyster-shell-based concrete alternatives, and clay structures shaped by natural geometries. It also highlights projects that address social inequities and care, whether through inclusive glassware, sensory garments for neurodivergent children, feminist welding spaces, adaptive uniforms, or speculative tools for intimate self-care. 

In conversation with designboom, Doyenne Studio co-founders Giulia Angelucci and Mara Bragagnolo reflect on why this shift feels urgent now. ‘Design has detached itself from interconnection,’ they tell us, ‘so now more than ever a life-giving approach is needed.’  We sat down with the curators to unpack the theoretical backbone of the exhibition, its regenerative ambitions, and the challenges and freedoms of gathering multiple perspectives under one conceptual horizon.

all installation images by Abbie Green

outlining a new design paradigm at Custom Lane, Edinburgh

For the founders of the women-run research and design practice, Giulia and Mara, the show is the culmination of years spent researching fashion futures, material methodologies, and inclusive design frameworks. Their backgrounds, spanning spatial design, art direction, olfactory environments, and systemic research, come together here to form a curatorial voice that is both rigorous and intuitive. One of the clearest provocations emerging from the exhibition is their assertion that ‘waste, extraction, pollution and exclusion are by design,’ and therefore design also holds the tools for reconfiguring the systems that produced them.

Curated in partnership with Common Practice, the exhibition unfolds through four thematic strands, Holistic Systems, Interspecies Collaboration, A Culture of Care, and Future Craft, each offering a different angle on how design can operate beyond extraction and efficiency. As the curators put it, the selected works ‘dare to imagine and design otherwise,’ proposing alternatives to linear production, extractive material cultures, and the myths of efficiency that have shaped dominant design narratives. The setting of Custom Lane, a collaborative center for design and making developed by GRAS, reinforces the ethos of shared space, practice, and futures.

What follows is a deeper look into these ideas through our conversation with Doyenne Studio, touching on eco-feminist theory, craft as ancestral knowledge, interdependence as method, and the generative challenges of working with many voices under one conceptual horizon. Read on for our full discussion below. 

Ignorance is Bliss by Agne Kucerenkaite

interview with doyenne studio

designboom (DB): You frame ‘feminine’ as a design methodology rather than a gendered aesthetic. How did you arrive at this interpretation, and why is it important now?

Doyenne Studio (DS): Within the context of the exhibition, feminine refers to an approach that is collaborative, decentralised, non-linear, fluid, empathetic, and holistic. The curation is the result of many years of research in the field of fashion futures and design innovation, specifically looking at color, product, and material methodologies with ecological and inclusive thinking at their heart. 
We all have a feminine and masculine side, women and queer designers naturally gravitate towards the regenerative approach simply because they are allowed to explore it more than men on a societal level. Design has detached itself from the idea of interconnection with the environmental, societal, and political implications of choices that are by design. So now more than ever, a life-giving approach is needed. Ultimately, we design for living beings, and the consequences of exclusion, pollution, and overproduction can be tackled by the industry if we allow ourselves to explore alternatives.


Hair Cycle by Sanne Visser | image by Rocio Chacon

DB: How does ecofeminist theory inform the selection and curation of the works in this exhibition?


DS: The exhibition challenges the dominance of the masculine in our approach to design and life in general. By a masculine approach, we mean a linear, competitive, logical, productivity-oriented approach. Our current systems are out of balance because this methodology needs its feminine counterpart. There is a connection between this approach, which is encouraged by capitalist and patriarchal ideologies, and the increasing extraction, oppression, and destruction of species, communities, landscapes, and resources. Eco-feminist theory illustrates these dynamics, and it is about time we weave this perspective into our design conversations. Waste, extraction, pollution, and exclusion are by design, so design holds an enormous potential in tackling these issues. The works we have selected in Feminine Literacy deal with these topics, and they dare to imagine and design otherwise.

wasted human hair becomes sustainable materials

DB: Can you give a specific example of a design in the exhibition that embodies interdependence, care, or systemic thinking?

DS: Every project we have selected embodies these themes, but if we had to pick a handful, they would be: Resting Reef by Aura Murillo and Louise Skajem, a death care service that allows you to turn your loved one’s ashes into life-giving marine sculptures that restore coral reefs, creating rituals of death that center life. Co-Obradoiro Galego by Paula Camiña Eiras, which celebrates Galician cultural identity by combining traditional basketry techniques with innovative biomaterials made from by-products of the fishing industry, ultimately demonstrating how heritage crafts can evolve for a regenerative future. Ignorance is Bliss by Agne Kucerenkaite, an ongoing research-based design project that transforms industrial waste and secondary materials into high-value ceramic surfaces for interior and exterior use, replacing factory-made components and reducing the need for virgin resources. Ignorance is Bliss is giving a new identity to waste and to the built environment, with empathy for planetary health.

bringing together works by 28 women and non-binary international designers

DB: What challenges arose in bringing together 28 international designers with diverse perspectives under a single conceptual vision?

DS: For us, it’s more challenging not to have diverse perspectives in our projects, so this felt quite natural. The main challenge has been postage. The works naturally belonged to and created the themes we have illustrated within the exhibition, so the curatorial process felt very organic and authentic.

Clò An Tìr by Alis Le May

DB: How do narrative and storytelling function within the exhibition to communicate complex ideas about interconnection and care?

DS: Narrative and accessibility are central to our curation. The exhibition explores interconnection, care, collaboration, and heritage across different categories. We have broken down the concept into four main concepts: Holistic Systems, Interspecies Collaboration, Culture of Care and Future Craft. Each section illustrates a feminine attribute applied to design, thinking in a systemic and decentralized way, creating through collaboration, designing with empathy, and mastering intuitive wisdom through craft. Narrative is important because it contextualizes the works and amplifies the message of both the exhibition and the projects. We decided to use a clear visual and sensorial language with color coding to guide visitors intuitively through each section, avoiding overwhelm and making the space design more accessible. The identity and design of the exhibition reflect the feminine approach at its core. Even the table supports are made from recycled bricks by Kenoteq, an award-winning innovation company that has collaborated with us in the space design.

Ornamental By, Lameice Abu Aker

DB: The exhibition highlights heritage, craft, and land-based knowledge. How do you see these practices influencing future design frameworks?

DS: Craft practices carry ancestral wisdom that is deeply tied to materiality, artistry, and emotion. Each creation becomes an expression of time, skill, and devotion. Traditions remind us that design can be more than a purely intellectual or efficiency-driven act, it can be an embodied, soulful practice, deeply connected to land, knowledge, and legacy. As we look toward the future, integrating these principles can lead to design frameworks that are slower, more intentional, and rooted in respect for both cultural and ecological systems. What are the folklore and rituals of the future? What culture are we crafting?

blending ancient Canaanite craftsmanship with contemporary design

DB: In what ways do you hope Feminine Literacy will influence broader design practice, beyond the exhibition itself?

DS: We hope that the exhibition will inspire and serve as a catalyst for other designers to rethink the role they play within the industry. A design approach that uses nature and coexistence as a starting point will always lead to innovation and relevance. We also hope this exhibition will be equally grounding and imaginative, expanding our sense of possibility, connection, and agency in the broader systems we belong to.

Minimal Matter by Rameshwari Jonnalagadda

an exhibition that repositions the word feminine as a design methodology with real systemic weight

Resting Reef transforms cremation ashes into living memorial reefs

Aurore Brard, Moving Memories

designed to ground users in the present and support meaningful interaction for people with dementia

Co-Obradoiro Galego by Paula Camina

project info:

exhibition: Feminine Literacy

curators: Doyenne Studio | @doyenne.studio

designers: Agne Kucerenkaite | @makewastematter, Alis Le May | @alis_le_may, ALMA Futura | @_almafutura_, Anna Zimmermann | @annazimmermann.eu, Resting Reef | @restingreef, Aurore Brard | @aurore_brard, Cancellato UNIFORM | @cancellatouniform, Eve Eunson | @eveeunson, Jessica Redgrave | @jess_redgrave, Lameice Abu Aker | @ornamental_by, Lena Bernasconi | @lenaberna, Linda Ammann | @li.maaaaa, Mathilde Wittock | @mwo_design, Mireille Steinhage | @mireillesteinhage, Monika Dolbniak | @monikadbn, Trisha Gow | @stuckwithaname, Paula Camiña Eiras | @paula.camina, Rameshwari Jonnalagedda | @_se.rame, Rosie Broadhead | @rosiebroadhead_, Sanne Visser | @studiosannevisser, Scottish Fungi Dye Group, Studio Sarmīte | @studio_sarmite, Silke Hofmann | @silk_hofmann, Veronica Collins
in partnership with: Common Practice | @common___practice

location: Custom Lane Gallery, 1 Customs Wharf, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6AL

dates: November 8th – December 7th 2025

poster design & identity: Giulia Saporito | @giulia.saporito

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Set against the concrete flow of Cairo’s 6th of October Bridge, Pergola introduces a ten-meter-tall outdoor theater and community arts space built from recycled materials and shaped through a year-long co-design process between THISS Studio, CLUSTER (Cairo Lab for Urban Studies, Training and Environmental Research), and Orient Productions. The structure centers the Anhar: Climate and Culture Platform, a regional initiative funded by the British Council and Art Jameel that supports artistic responses to environmental challenges across the Middle East. Within a rapidly densifying city where public green space is shrinking, Pergola positions culture, ecology, and collective agency at the center of urban life.

The architects deliberately set Pergola in visual counterpoint to the billboards towering over the adjacent bridge. Its vivid red form becomes a signal for public attention in an increasingly privatized landscape, framing a small park in Giza as a site for performance and gathering. The project restores a corner of the city to civic visibility, inviting communities to occupy and define it.

all images by Georges & Samuel Mohsen – The GS Studio

Recycled plastic from the nile becomes walls and flooring

Working with local initiatives VeryNile and Reblox, the London-based team remade waste plastic collected from the Nile and nearby construction sites into floor tiles, shading components, and the striking red walls of the project. The approach demonstrates how recycled matter can anchor a new architectural language for Cairo, one that is expressive yet low-carbon and rooted in the city’s environmental realities. Additional material contributions from TileGreen extend this ethic of reuse across the surfaces of the project.

Pergola’s form and program emerged through an extended co-design process led by CLUSTER and THISS Studio. Local residents, students, and park stakeholders contributed through workshops and model-making sessions, ensuring that the space responds directly to how neighborhood communities gather, perform, and imagine their shared environment. 

Launched as the opening stage for the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-CAF), curated by Orient Productions, Pergola continues to operate as a civic hub for cultural programming and environmental awareness, suggesting how art and architecture can reclaim fragments of the city and redirect them toward more inclusive and sustainable futures.

Pergola introduces a ten-meter-tall outdoor theater and community arts space

set against the concrete flow of Cairo’s 6th of October Bridge

built from recycled materials

the result of a year-long co-design process between THISS Studio, CLUSTER, and Orient Productions

Pergola positions culture, ecology, and collective agency at the center of urban life

the architects deliberately set Pergola in visual counterpoint to the billboards towering over the adjacent bridge

the vivid red form becomes a signal for public attention

the project restores a corner of the city to civic visibility

waste plastic collected from the Nile and nearby construction sites becomes floor tiles and shading components

the striking red walls are also made from recycled materials

pergola’s form and program emerged through an extended co-design process

local residents, students, and park stakeholders contributed through workshops and model-making sessions

the space responds directly to how neighborhood communities imagine their shared environment

inviting communities to occupy and define the structure

project info:

name: Pergola

architect: THISS Studio | @thiss.studio, CLUSTER (Cairo Lab for Urban Studies, Training and Environmental Research) | @clustercairo

location: Cairo, Egypt

collaborators: Orient Productions

photographer: Georges & Samuel Mohsen | @thegsstudio – The GS Studio

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The National Black Theatre (NBT) in Harlem is entering a new chapter with the construction of a major capital redevelopment project on its historic site at 2031 National Black Theatre Way. The project, set to be completed in 2027, is designed to transform NBT into a 21st-century performing arts destination and economic engine for East Harlem, uniting theater, design, and cultural entrepreneurship under one roof. Following the opening of the Studio Museum in Harlem (find designboom’s coverage here), the development continues the neighborhood’s cultural renaissance, reaffirming its role as a global center for Black art, architecture, and community life.

Envisioned as a ‘Theatre of the Future,’ the 2,508-square-meter facility by Marvel Architects spans five floors within a 22-story mixed-use complex, designed by Frida Escobedo and developed in partnership with community and city collaborators. The building will feature a 250-seat flexible performance space, a 99-seat studio theater, an exhibition hall showcasing local artists and NBT’s renowned Yoruba art collection, rehearsal and training workshops, and public areas designed for gathering and dialogue. 

images courtesy of NBT and Marvel Architects

marvel architects designs sanctuary-like interiors

The architecture of NBT’s new home, designed by the interdisciplinary team at Marvel Architects, seeks to evoke serenity, reflection, and spiritual connection. Light, sound, and materiality play central roles in creating what the theatre describes as ‘sanctuary spaces’ that foster creativity and emotional well-being. Natural light, organic materials, water features, and affirmational text are integrated throughout the interiors intended to inspire ‘meaningful moments of connection and transcendence.’

These design principles mirror the approach of the theater to storytelling, treating creative expression as a form of collective healing. The spaces are envisioned as both a retreat and a catalyst, offering a setting where Black artists can develop new work, audiences can engage in critical dialogue, and communities can see their identities reflected ‘at their highest vibration.’

the National Black Theatre (NBT) in Harlem is entering a new chapter

a cultural anchor in the evolving landscape of the area

Since its founding in 1968 by artist and visionary Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, the National Black Theatre (NBT) in Harlem has been a cornerstone of Black artistic expression and a catalyst for cultural and economic growth, serving as the first home of The Studio Museum, hosting major theatrical premieres, and pioneering Black-led creative enterprise. Its new facility anchors a revitalized cultural corridor alongside the Apollo Theater and the Studio Museum, forming part of a recently rezoned Special Arts District designed to support local creative industries. The redevelopment represents one of the most significant investments in Black cultural infrastructure in New York City’s history.

Construction and programming are expected to generate hundreds of temporary and permanent jobs, while NBT’s ongoing initiatives in job training, particularly for union-track theater production roles, will expand through the addition of a new on-site workshop. Once operational, the annual programming of the theater is projected to contribute around $9 million per year to the city’s economy through tourism, hospitality, and ancillary services.

At the heart of the redevelopment is an initiative called Naming Justice, a program that reclaims physical space as a site of remembrance and acknowledgment. Building on Dr. Teer’s earlier efforts to rename the corner of 125th Street and Fifth Avenue as National Black Theatre Way, the program invites donors to support the naming of spaces in the new facility after Black and BIPOC ancestors, luminaries, and hidden figures whose legacies have shaped American culture. 

the project is set to be completed in 2027

residential, retail, and culture converge in a 22-story complex

When completed, NBT’s new home will join a 22-story complex known as Ray Harlem, which features residential, retail, and cultural functions all in one building. The theater will occupy its own dedicated floors, with ground-floor retail designed to complement the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of the institution. Located within walking distance of multiple subway lines and the Metro-North, the development is easily accessible to both local residents and visitors.

The National Black Theatre continues the vision Dr. Teer began more than half a century ago, and builds spaces where Black creativity can thrive. As construction advances toward completion in 2027, the Theatre of the Future stands poised to reaffirm Harlem’s position as a global center for Black culture.

a 21st-century performing arts destination and economic engine for East Harlem

envisioned as a ‘Theatre of the Future’

the 2,508-square-meter facility by Marvel Architects spans five floors

‘sanctuary spaces’ that foster creativity and emotional well-being

design principles mirror the approach of the theater to storytelling

a setting where Black artists can develop new work

NBT’s new home is part of a 22-story complex known as Ray Harlem,

project info:

name: Theatre of the Future
institution: National Black Theatre (NBT) | @natblacktheatre

architects: Marvel Architects | @marvel_is_design
mixed-use complex design: Frida Escobedo | @fridaescobedo

location: Harlem, New York City, USA

area: 2,508 sqm (27,000 sqft)

interior designer: Little Wing Lee, Studio & Projects | @studio.and.projects

intervention artist: Sanford Biggers | @sanfordbiggers

theater consulting: Charcoal Blue | @charcoalblue

wayfinding & signage: Isometric Studio | @isometricstudio

collaborating base architect: Handel Architects | @handelarchitects

founder: Dr. Barbara Ann Teer
fit-out start: 2026
completion: 2027
client: National Black Theatre

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Backyard Community Club in Accra, Ghana, designed by DeRoche Projects, introduces a model for community space in a city with limited access to green and recreational areas. Centered on a clay tennis court, the project combines sport, learning, and ecological practice within a compact urban site. It also represents Ghana’s first use of a precast rammed earth system, adapting a traditional building material for contemporary, scalable construction.

The most significant technical leap of the project lies in the pioneering use of precast rammed earth panels, developed specifically for Ghana’s climatic and labor conditions. Traditional rammed earth, while sustainable, is typically slow and weather-dependent, limiting its use in large-scale projects. The architects introduce off-site fabrication, which allows for controlled production, precision, and faster delivery. Panels are modular, easily transported, and adaptable to future sites, presenting a replicable model for sustainable construction in the region. ‘We wanted the architecture to carry the same sense of purpose as the programming, grounded, expressive, and innovative,’ adds Glenn DeRoche.

all images by Julien Lanoo

in Backyard Community club, training meets togetherness

Set within a compact urban plot in Osu, the Backyard Community Club includes spaces for training, gathering, and cultivation. A clay tennis court at its heart provides a professional-standard environment for athletes under 18, while free lessons open access to the sport for local children. A floating bench embedded along the shaded perimeter doubles as both seating and an observation deck, encouraging informal exchange between players and community. Around the court, simple ancillary spaces, changing rooms, showers, outdoor counters, and barbecue areas integrate into the landscape, designed with natural light and cross-ventilation rather than mechanical systems.

Wrapped in a 4-meter-high rhythmic enclosure of precast rammed earth panels, the modular structure filters wind and casts intricate shadows. ‘Backyard is about more than tennis, it’s about creating a platform for youth, for mentorship, and for community,’ says Glenn DeRoche, creative director of the team at DeRoche Projects. ‘We developed a custom precast system that acts as both structure and expression, pushing construction to meet the ambition of a purpose-built community space. The architecture is deliberately open-ended, where lines between sport, gathering, learning, and rest are blurred.’

Backyard Community Club in Ghana introduces a model for community space

A Living Landscape of Nourishment and Sustainability

Extending from the court, a 230-square-meter sustenance garden cultivates more than twenty species of edible and medicinal plants, including guava, banana, lemongrass, peppermint, soursop, and coconut. Its purpose is practical rather than ornamental, as it nourishes young athletes while teaching ecological responsibility. Youth also learn to tend and harvest alongside training. Ingredients are used for juices, snacks, and community meals prepared on site, while the garden itself becomes a social ground for exchange and self-reliance. When not in use for matches or training, the court transforms into a multipurpose community space for exercise, produce markets, outdoor screenings, and evening gatherings.

Sustainability operates at both material and systemic levels. The project prioritizes low-carbon, locally sourced materials, using rammed earth to enclose the clay court while reducing reliance on imported or energy-intensive components. Because clay courts require consistent moisture, the team implemented a borehole system and stormwater harvesting strategy to irrigate both the playing surface and the surrounding vegetation, minimizing use of municipal water. An earth slurry finish replaces conventional cement render, allowing the walls to breathe while lowering embodied carbon. Passive ventilation and natural daylighting eliminate the need for air conditioning, ensuring low operational energy across all structures.

centered on a clay tennis court, the project combines sport, learning, and ecological practice

Ghana’s first use of a precast rammed earth system

the modular structure filters wind and casts intricate shadows

adapting a traditional building material for contemporary, scalable construction

precast rammed earth panels are developed specifically for Ghana’s climatic and labor conditions

a replicable model for sustainable construction in the region

a 230-square-meter sustenance garden cultivates more than twenty species of edible and medicinal plants

the court transforms into a multipurpose community space for exercise, produce markets and more

project info:

name: Backyard Community Club

architect: DeRoche Projects | @derocheprojects

location: Osu, Accra, Ghana, West Africa

photographer: Julien Lanoo | @julienlanoo

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