Dezeen Magazine

Earth Day: Sarah Wigglesworth house retrofit

This week we celebrated Earth Day

This week on Dezeen, we marked Earth Day by looking at ways architects and designers are addressing climate change.

We rounded up 10 ways in which architects can contribute to creating a healthier planet from reducing waste, retrofitting (including Sarah Wigglesworth's house in London, above) and rewilding to collaboration and lobbying for change.

Alongside this roundup, we also looked at seven materials that designers are using to create more sustainable products.

Airo car
Heatherwick Studio reveals Airo car that will clean pollution as it drives

Also with a view to creating a more sustainable future, London-based Heatherwick Studio revealed its design for an electric car that will clean pollution as it drives.

"Airo isn't simply another electric car that doesn't pollute the air," said studio founder Thomas Heatherwick.

"Instead, using the latest HEPA-filter technology, it goes further by also vacuuming up pollutants from other cars as it drives along."

Salone del Mobile
Claudio Luti resigns as Salone del Mobile president, saying his vision for September's fair "has failed"

Coronavirus continued to impact the design world as plans to hold furniture fair Salone del Mobile were thrown into doubt following the resignation of the fair's president Claudio Luti.

Luti resigned amid fears that the planned event in September would have few exhibitors and attendees, saying his vision this year's event "has failed".

Following his resignation, Milan mayor Beppe Sala said that this year's event was "in the balance".

Supermarket food store at the Design Museum
Camille Walala creates pop-up Supermarket food store at the Design Museum

In London, Camille Walala created a pop-up Supermarket food store at the Design Museum, which will be open for five days.

The store is selling food essentials in packaging designed by artists Charlotte EdeyHolly Warburton, Isadora Lima, Jess WarbyJoey YuKatherine Plumb, Katie Kimmel, Kentaro Okawara, and Michaela Yearwood-Dan.

"Infinity loop" skyscraper
BIG designs "infinity loop" skyscraper for OPPO in Hangzhou

Danish architecture studio BIG revealed visuals of a skyscraper in Hangzhou for Chinese smartphone manufacturer OPPO.

Described by the studio as being infinity-loop shaped, the skyscraper will be built in an O-shape around a central courtyard.

Loch Tummel house
WT Architecture creates "self-consciously picturesque house" overlooking Scottish loch

Popular projects this week included a "self-consciously picturesque house" overlooking a Scottish loch, a Victorian terrace with sunken garden and minimalist interiors and a wedge-shaped house in the US.

This week's lookbook focused on outdoor fireplaces and firepits.

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week's top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don't miss anything.