Carlo Ratti Associatti has developed an intelligent robot capable of writing and drawing on vertical surfaces.

Called Scribit, the device allows users to personalise any wall, transforming it into a ‘wonder wall’, with customisable digital content. It can be installed in just five minutes, needing only two nails and a power point, and features patented technology that enables users to draw, erase and re-draw new content numerous times without damaging the surface. Controlled by an app, users can upload content, or source it from the internet. Its interactive software enables the device to replicate any kind of data - including notes, messages, images and graphics - in real time. Once digital information is received by Scribit it begins to replicate it immediately.

The Scribit is circular in shape and measures 20cm x 8cm (7.9” x3”) in diameter, it is covered in aluminium, with four different coloured marker pens at its centre. It works on a two-axis plane and moves up and down on thin cables attached to the surface.

“We’re totally deluged with information, and spend too much time of our non-sleeping time in front of one form or another of digital screen - TV, desktop computers, laptops, tablets or phones. Do we really want to add more screens to our lives.” said Carlo Ratti, founding partner of Carlo Ratti Associati and director of the MIT Senseable City Lab at MIT.

“Scribit offers up an alternative: a robotic system that draws on any kind of vertical surface, following a primordial act performed by humanity since our first cave graffiti.”

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Russian design studio Aotta has developed a range of eco-friendly, sound-absorbing panels made from the waste products of hemp seeds.

Made from the seed husks, which form when the seed is peeled and are usually discarded, the panels are designed to maintain ‘healthy spaces’ and consist of hemp husks fashioned into a natural porous membrane that absorbs sound and regulates temperature and humidity levels.

The shape of the husk is preserved to create a unique and visually-interesting tactile panel that is 100 per cent biodegradable, whilst being strong enough for long term use.

In addition, the panels are non-flammable with anti-fungal properties and are available in a number of different collections, including The Island collection, which features rounded geometric shapes and are designed to give the feeling that the panels have grown organically out of the walls.

Tanya Repina, designer at Aotta, says: “We were charmed by hemp for its exceptional appearance. Unusual finishing materials are trendy now. The husk consists of half semi-spheres and looks like small shells on the seashore.”

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The Zaha Hadid Gallery has partnered with carpet manufacturer Royal Thai to create a new carpet collection inspired by the work of the late Zaha Hadid.

Billed as a celebration of Hadid’s legacy, the collection, called RE/Form, made its debut at this year’s London Design Festival, and consists of 22 designs inspired by themes - organic cellular shapes, pixelated landscapes, striated lines and ribbon-like projections - featured prominently in Hadid’s work.

The carpets capture Hadid’s notable use of layering and interweaving as well as her use of light and shadow, and are Axminster-loomed and hand-tufted, with a vivid colour palette that includes bold shades of red, green and turquoise.

Maha Kutay, director of Zaha Hadid Design, says: “Zaha’s product design and architecture have always been connected; some of the earliest projects in the office were designs for products, interiors and furniture.”

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Brazilian design firm Campana has created a four-piece furniture collection made almost entirely from Portuguese cork.

The collection, called Sobreiro, made its debut at the Experimenta Portugal arts and culture festival at the Consulate of Portugal in Sãn Paulo, Brazil, and was designed to showcase cork’s potential as a sustainable and versatile material.  

It combines Brazilian design with Portuguese materials and consists of an armchair and three cabinets in a neutral brown palette with nature-inspired designs.

The armchair is made entirely of cork, while the cabinets have wooden frames to support their structures, and are made from an expanded cork agglomerate, a material created when cork is heated, with one of the cabinets being made from a cork agglomerate-natural clay hybrid.

“Cork has always fascinated us, not only because it’s ecological, but because of its lightness,” says Humberto Campana

“The texture and variety of applications enrich the possibilities of expressing through the material a lot of new concepts and gestures.”

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product photos Courtesy of Estudio Campana, Epoca and Amorim photo by Nuno Sousa Dias

Swedish lighting company Wästberg has expanded its Holocene collection, with a new addition, Holocene No. 4, designed by acclaimed architect John Pawson.

Reflecting Pawson’s pared-back style and neutral palette, Holocene No. 4 is a modern twist on a traditional oil lantern. The free-standing lamp is cylindrical in shape and is made from stainless steel and aluminium. It features a squared-off handle and a matte-exterior drum with a polished interior, designed to best reflect candle light. It measures 40 cm in height and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

It is the fourth light in the collection, which boasts pieces designed by architects Ilse Crawford, David Chipperfield and Jasper Morrison and eschews electricity in favour of non-electrical light sources.

“Working with Wästberg was a real opportunity to design something I really wanted,” says Pawson.

“Lighting is the biggest element of architecture and completely changes one’s perceptions of space. I wanted to create something that had its own presence so that when you set it down it makes its own atmosphere.”

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Bjarke Ingels Group has partnered with lighting design firm Artemide to create the Gople Lamp, a new lighting concept, that is designed to ‘reconcile human spaces and nature through light.’

The lamp, which debuted at London Design Week, combines modern techniques with artisanal traditions. It has a pill-shaped glass form, available in three different colour ways: white, bronze and silver, created using ancient Venetian mouth-blowing techniques, and features patented RWB (red, white and blue) lighting technology that is designed to nourish nature and enhance plant life and human perception.

It was inspired by ‘area2071’, a BIG project in Dubai that featured lamps that were capable of simultaneously illuminating and nourishing the green spaces.

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High-end tile supplier Designworks has created a range of glow-in-the-dark mosaic tiles for commercial use.

Designed to bring light into wet areas, the Fosfo range uses luminescent pigments, which ‘charge’ when exposed to light, to create a spectacular glow-in-the-dark display. The collection is available in four different colourways as a dramatic blocked sheet, or in six different colourways in a random pattern effect.

The tiles feature the company’s ‘JointPoint’ technology, an innovation that allows for easy application and stronger adhesion. “Our new Fosfo collection adds vibrancy, fun and distinction to the Designworks mosaics range. These tiles work beautifully as a feature wall in spas and steam rooms and look spectacular when integrated in swimming pools, especially at night,” says Dave Foster, head of Leisure Sales at Designworks.

“This new collection will be very popular among luxury hotels and spas looking to add a unique touch to guests experience, and we’re very excited to offer this special product to our clients.”

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