They celebrate the simple and pure – and create objects that tell a story: Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen have been designing sculptural furniture ever since 2011. Their artistic background strongly informs the work and mindset of the Ghent-based design duo.

As the temperature rises so, too, does the amount of living space at our disposal: At long last, the garden, terrace, balcony but also urban squares and courtyards can all be used extensively again. And Arper has just the right outdoor furniture for them at hand.

Mae-ling Lokko is interested in the seemingly peripheral. What is normally given scant attention or is rarely related, what falls off the margins – is precisely what she focuses on. She collects, sorts, observes, and studies. Lokko’s work stands out for this marvelous mix of analytical precision paired with imagination.

Sound absorbers that are customised for individual architectures such as interior designs: Echojazz offers the right solution for every project. The products are made from recycled PET bottles in Kriens, Switzerland.

For the sixth time, the international fair for contemporary collectible design recently took place at Tour & Taxis Brussels. The new Architect <=> Designer section, curated by Belgian interior designer Nicolas Schuybroek, was dedicated to furniture designed by architects and interior designers. We introduce you to three projects.

It has been four years since the world's leading trade fair for HVAC + Water opened its doors in Frankfurt am Main. From 13 to 17 March 2023, visitors were able to experience an ISH whose exhibitors increasingly offered self-sufficient, sustainable alternatives and conducted research into more efficient use of water and energy.

A natural alternative to classic plastics: a startup in the bioeconomy sector, traceless from Hamburg, is busy using plant-based biomaterial to realize this vision.

Internationally renowned designer Philippe Starck has been creating exceptional collections for the AXOR design brand for over 20 years now. For the 2023 edition of the ISH in Frankfurt the creative team presented two new lines that make bathroom downtime an exceptional experience both in terms of function and aesthetics.

Ole Scheeren has become widely known for projects such as the CCTV Headquarters and Guardian Art Center in Beijing as well as The Interlace residential complex in Singapore. Now the Center for Art and Media (ZKM) in Karlsruhe is showing a solo exhibition of the German architect's work until 4 June 2023.

Wilkhahn has furnished the New York Stock Exchange's historic meeting rooms with jehs+laub's striking Graph conference chairs.

The interdisciplinary and international team of the Vetica design studio led by Peter Wirz accompanies the development processes of industrial products in form and function – such as for the premium brand Laufen. His new collection is on show at the ISH in Frankfurt am Main from 13 to 17 March 2023.

Roca, the world’s largest manufacturer of sanitary ceramics, is expanding its portfolio of complete bathroom solutions still further. Marc Viardot, Corporate Marketing and Design Director of the Roca Group gives us an insight into the ISH trade fair appearance of the Roca brand and the philosophy of the company.

"Lamorisse" by CMP Design for Pedrali is an ode to lightness, to light-hearted summer days - it is with good reason that the Italian designer trio was inspired by the ease of a balloon for the design of the armchair.

The right solution for every facet of agile working: together with osko+deichmann, the Baden-based design and contract furniture manufacturer Brunner has developed the "boards" collection. A whiteboard ensemble that makes your everyday life easier, more dynamic and more interactive.

The English architect David Chipperfield, with offices in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai, is honored with the Pritzker Prize 2023. He now stands in a row with greats such as Luis Barragán, Robert Venturi, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, Wang Shu or Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara.

In the run-up to ISH, which will be taking place in Frankfurt am Main from March 13-17, we talked to two experts from the fields of HVAC and bathroom fitting, Jens J. Wischmann, CEO of Vereinigung Deutsche Sanitärwirtschaft e.V. (VDS), and Claudio Paulus, who is on the management board at heating and air conditioning firm E. Engelhardt GmbH + Co.KG. In the interview, the two talk about how things currently stand and about what areas will be gaining in importance.

Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine is also waged on Ukrainian architectural culture: Our author Falk Jaeger spoke to architect Philipp Meuser about the Ukrainian architectural legacy and the plans for reconstruction once the war is over.

Precise pleats on delicate wooden columns, a two-row colonnade winding around a low, transparent interior: The polygonal circular building designed by Lina Ghotmeh for the Serpentine Pavilion 2023 looks quite like an origami sculpture.

ISH, the World's Leading Trade Fair for HVAC + Water in Frankfurt/Main, is the leading international platform for the energy transition in the building sector. Sustainable energy storage, digital networking and efficient process optimization are the focus – we introduce you to ten companies that you should not miss in the Energy section from March 13 to 17, 2023.

At ISH 2023, the world's leading trade fair for HVAC + Water in Frankfurt am Main, the leading premium brand in the bathroom Laufen will show a further development of the successful collection "IL BAGNO ALESSI", which is set in scene by means of an individually controllable light frame.

Stylepark is raffling off one "Mono" stepstool by Richard Lampert.

With the extension of the De Lakenhal Museum in the Dutch city of Leiden, Happel Cornelisse Verhoeven has succeeded in creating a multi-layered architectural link. The individual elements of the overall ensemble are connected with bricks delivered by Petersen Tegl.

The "Tricot" rug by Paola Lenti offers a robust quality with a unique colour scheme. The textile base originates from the company's own production.

In our series “Spotlight on Women Architects”, we regularly present the work of female architects – such as that of Denise Scott Brown, whose work has only recently received adequate recognition, as due to systemic injustice she was long overshadowed by her husband Robert Venturi.

Cosmopolitan living can hardly get any better: in the middle of Manhattan, a throw away from the Empire State Building and Madison Square Park, rises the skyscraper "277 Fifth Avenue" by Rafael Viñoly Architects. The Austrian manufacturer Rieder realised the impressive façade design with glass fibre concrete panels.

On the occasion of the ISH, we spoke with the two expert planners Matthias Rammig and Felix Thumm from Transsolar about sensible smart building solutions in the field of water and energy for existing buildings. The world's leading trade fair for HVAC + Water will take place in Frankfurt am Main from March 13 to 17, 2023.

Kyiv-based architecture and design studio balbek bureau is committing to helping its country deal with the Russian aggression, while pursuing commercial projects of the day-to-day work at the same time. Borys Dogorov, co-founder, managing partner and Chief Operating Officer of balbek bureau, tells us about the bureau’s social projects, compiled under the umbrella RE:Ukraine.

For the "Gioia equilibrio" table luminaire, Occhio offers the trio of elegant design, maximum mobility and touch-free control: gentle hand movements are all that is needed to direct the light individually.

Villeroy & Boch is presenting an extensive programme at the upcoming ISH in Frankfurt am Main, both at its exhibition stand in the Festhalle and on the digital platform Innovation Days 2023. Live-Talks with designers Gesa Hansen, Florian Kallus and Sebastian Schneider (Kaschkasch) in cooperation with Stylepark will be part of the agenda.

Patrick Jouin is among the designers who are shaping the holistic change in the industry – from his participation in the first Salone Satellite in Milan to his ongoing cooperation with Pedrali. He tells us in an interview what sustainable furniture design constitutes today.

"Subway 3.0" by Villeroy & Boch is a bathroom design that is holistically conceived: water-saving in use, smart in function, created with a clear formal language and high-quality materials. Until 15 April 2023, Villeroy & Boch is offering designers the opportunity to win attractive prizes with their idea for a family bathroom.

For three years, the Stockholm Furniture Fair had to take a break due to the pandemic. That both the organisers and the Scandinavian creatives and companies have integrated the current change into their work during this time became quite clear when the gates of Stockholmsmässan finally opened again from 7 to 11 February 2023.

“Cleaf Club”, the installation produced in cooperation with Campos Costa Arquitetos, is on display in CCube in Lissone up until mid-March 2023. It involved transforming the corporate showroom, the creative heart of Cleaf, into a club complete with dancefloor and lounge. In our interview, architect Pedro Campos Costa and Cleaf Managing Director Roberto Caspani explain what is behind the Cleaf products.

For those who want to know how to guide a major event, visited by about half a million guests every year, through challenging times, should have a look to Milan. The Salone del Mobile.Milano, a fixed star for creative people from all over the world since 1961, recently presented the plans for the internationally most important furniture and design fair at a press conference.

The homosexual inclinations of some of the heroes in the history of architecture still remain a taboo subject. Which is why we owe a great debt of thanks to two architecture historians, Wolfgang Voigt and Uwe Bresan, for shedding light on the queer elements in the biographies of great architects.