Insecticides, repellents and insect traps are used massively around the world every day. Doing so, we forget that insects play an indispensable role in the environmental balance. As a result, bee populations have been declining worldwide, while without their pollination 1/3 of the food we eat would be threatened. Concerned with the fact that a lot of pollinators, such as solitary bees and wasps, lack places to live in the urban context, designers create manmade shelters for the insects that encourage biodiversity and increase the ecosystem productivity.

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Insect behaviour has been a rich source of inspiration for the field of robotics. Tiny insect-inspired robotic creatures could perform a great variety of tasks including surveillance, search-and-rescue missions and environmental monitoring, and even aircracft engine maintenance.

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With this post, we continue our exploration of unexpected takes on concrete furniture designs. This time, we have focused on the contrast between the concrete’s true properties and bespoke designs that endow it with softness and fluidity generally not associated with this hard and resistant material.

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Concrete is an extremely durable and resistant material, suitable for indoors and outdoors, domestic and public use. Due to rapidly evolving setting and molding techniques, it is now possible to utilize concrete in furniture design creating sophisticated shapes that would bring the material into the home in a very modern way.

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The lockdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak showed to many of us how crucial social gatherings outdoors are to us. Now, that outdoor spaces around the world are beginning to open, it turns out that it might be tricky to remember to accurately interpret or even keep a recommended two metres distance. As a response to this problem shared by many, designers and architects develop creative solutions which would enable different forms of collective expression and the spaces they take place in, to continue to serve their function in our societies.

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According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, theatre design is primarily concerned with enhancing the experience the audience can have at a performance. However, contemporary architects busy themselves with exploding the conventional typology of a theatre built in a more functional architectural style, as they transform it from closed-off structures into accessible ‘landmarks’ celebrating art in the urban context.

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After the pandemic, camping has grown to be one of the most popular social distancing activities. Any experienced camper will agree: When you are backpacking, space is at a premium.  Have a look at this great selection of space-saving lightweight camping must-haves that will leave you itching to start on an adventure.

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Glamping (a portmanteau of “glamorous” and “camping”) is a global trend gaining popularity nowadays. Offering amenities and resort-style services not usually associated with traditional camping, yet retaining its original escapism and adventurous spirit, this type of sustainable tourism has become particularly sought after in the wake of the global pandemic. Architects and designers have taken care of combining luxuries of hotel accommodation with the feeling of full immersion in Nature.

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Single-use plastic bottles are one of the main contributors to ocean pollution. Most of them end up at landfill sites, for even though recycling plastic bottles is possible, it is also energy consuming. However, a lot of people still buy bottled water, notwithstanding its environmental impact, because there is an undeniable convenience to this disposable product. It is easily available, one don’t need to worry about cleaning the bottle or carrying a bulky container along after it is empty. Designers offer various alternatives to single-use  water bottles that brilliantly solve all of these problems.

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What do such materials as resin, paper and concrete have in common? All of them are utilized to create dazzling and intricate jewelry that can speak more about the wearer than the conventional pieces made of precious metals and stones. The innovative designers and jewelry brands invite us into a brand new world where the very notion of preciousness is reinvented.

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