A journey through design objects and architecture that have made sustainability their raison d'être

Sustainability, what a clunky word for a concept which has become such an integral part of each of our daily actions. Even more so in design, where environmental consciousness now has taken the reins in determining the relationship between form and function. Furniture companies have understood this and risen to the challenge, as can be seen in the new products covered in this issue, which wear their green approach on their sleeves and have no need of superstructures or propagandistic claims.

Graphic Motion: Daniele Basilico

This is design

The design does the talking. Besides, the latest European regulations have established rules for speaking about the environmental impact of a product or service: it is no longer possible to make claims about sustainability if specific requisites have not been met. And this has inevitable consequences on the governance decisions of companies, who are currently adopting the circular economic model to create a new generation of furniture which has actually been rethought from an intrinsic point of view, and not just an aesthetic one.

Between the constructed and the natural

The relationship between the constructed and the natural is also at the heart of the architectural projects we examine. Each one in its own way pro- vides a new eco-sustainable, immersive, and salubrious take on comfort. We have the spectacular roof designed by Kengo Kuma for the renovated CAM Gulbenkian in Lisbon; the vertical garden which traverses an iconic penthouse designed by Tadao Ando in New York; the bold geometries which define Saunders’ homes amongst the trees in Norway.

Between past and future

As well as the patio-garden in Aversa reformulated by Antonio Zagaria, the locally sourced materials chosen by Paola Navone for the interior design of Villa San Luigi in Chianti, and lastly the work of the Franco-Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh and her “gentle” approach to regeneration which uses consciousness as a tool to build a bridge between past and future.

Interni Annual Bagno 2024 between bathing and ritual

The bathroom is the space of self-care, a place where we can cultivate the relationship with the body. In the bathroom we are naked. This means it has to be warm and comfortable. So cladding materials such as wood, stone and ceramic, raw or treated, convey a sense of naturalness that offers comfort and pleasure. The same is true of the faucets. Matt brass or copper, or even steel but with a satin finish, are preferred to extra polished chrome steel.

Water, an increasingly precious commodity

Color returns in the sanitary fittings: cobalt blue, salmon pink, straw yellow, forest green have eclipsed the white ceramic that has been long in favor. Water, an increasingly precious commodity, is distributed wisely thanks to dispensing systems that reduce its flow while reinforcing the intensity of the jet. And finally lights and mirrors: many lighting fixtures positioned in the different areas of use and a mirror, as large as possible, to indulge our vanity... After all, we are all children of Narcissus.