Could Salt Be a Material of the Future? Innovating with Crystallized Salt Panels

Sodium chloride, most commonly known as salt, is everywhere. Ancient in its uses and abundant in nature, it preserves local ecosystems, de-ices roads, is vital in a variety of industrial processes, and is likely sitting on your kitchen table as a seasoning for your meals. Today, it is attributed relatively little value –considering it used to be as worthy as gold–, and unlike other nature-derived alternatives such as algae or mycelium, there doesn’t seem to be enough research and interest around all of its physical, mechanical or aesthetic properties. And yet it is a material with infinite, extraordinary potential. Apart from its life-supporting qualities, salt is affordable, easily available, antibacterial, resistant to fire, can store humidity and heat, and is great at reflecting and diffusing light.

Marketing Office / RA Design Studio

This workspace is a story of the sun and screens. The project site is located in WAPA (West Ahmedabad Premium Arena), also known as Gujarat's first planned smart area with scores of high-rise residential projects under construction. Our client, an esteemed real estate developer, needed a marketing office and an engineers' working space for upcoming projects in this neighborhood. The location of the site is adjacent to the main road with no boundary and access to a 360-degree view of other construction sites and the movement of heavy load-bearing vehicles. During the site visit, we located a few clusters of existing trees, so almost intuitively, we decided to build the office around them in a way that they turned into natural design elements.

Which Country Stands Out in Design? A' Design Awards Announce 2022 World Design Rankings

From 114 participating countries, the World Design Rankings (WDR) have once again ranked the best in arts, architecture and design, sponsored by the A' Design Award and Competition. With the objective of contributing to global design culture through advocating and highlighting good design, the rankings provide additional data and insights to economists and journalists regarding the design industry.

MVRDV Unveils Winning Design for a New Central Library in Wuhan, China

MVRDV has been selected as the winner of the competition to design a new library for Wuhan, poised to become one of the largest libraries in China. The large-scale project creates diverse study environments and offers reading and studio spaces while also connecting to its surroundings via three large openings that display the life inside the buildings to invite visitors to enter. Spanning over 140,000 square meters, the distinctive building adapts its volume to reflect its position at the confluence of two main rivers in Wuhan and become a recognizable landmark for the city.

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