i + D - January/February 2021 - 12

Design
On
Editor's
Letter
1.

It can be difficult to be encouraging when
times are challenging, yet the design profession
is finding ways to do so on a daily basis.
The creative professionals we spoke with
for this issue-and speak to regularly-are
determined to be beacons of hope, to offer
light in the darkness, and to envision and carry
out solutions to the tests the past year has
presented to the entire population. From how
and where we live, learn, and heal, to ideas that
work to keep us safe and connected wherever
we go, design is determined to lead the way.
At i+D, we're looking ahead as well. In this
issue, we offer a glimpse into the future of
life at home, even beyond the pandemic
( " Change of Place, " p. 26), and we consider
how something that used to be an accessory
(dwelling unit) might just become a
neighborhood staple ( " Small is Big, " p. 34).
We also deliver some new items to ring in the
new year. First up is an expanded take on
the Design Pulse series. Going forward, the

column will highlight several projects of note
in each city or region it investigates. For this
issue, we check in on the creative happenings
in Milan ( " Bouncing Back, " p. 14). Next, our
ICONic Profile series receives an update with
the work of a new artist-Amanda Mocci-
for the portraits of our featured design
luminaries ( " ICONic Profile: AJ Paron, "
p. 40). And finally, this issue marks the first
installation of a series called Material Matters.
These feature stories will take deep dives into
the form and function of a variety of product
categories beginning with this edition's focus
on paint and color ( " Hue on Cue, " p. 42).
It's time to look ahead-to new projects, new
demands, and what might just be an entirely
new way of living by design. And it's time for
visionary minds to make the world aware of
the possibilities thoughtful design can offer
a world in need of a restorative, safe, and
beautiful upgrade.

1. PRODUCT NOMINEE: FÖRÄNDRING BY IKEA
Designed by Lolo Stigenius, Akanksha Deo Sharma,
Iina Vuorivirta, and Helene Davidsson

Designed to reduce air pollution, the homeware
collection is made from waste rice-straw, a riceharvesting byproduct that would otherwise be burned
and contribute to air pollution in northern India.
Jennifer Quail
Editor-in-Chief

2. PRODUCT NOMINEE: INDUS
Designed by Shneel Malik; Brenda Parker, Ph.D.; and Marcos
Cruz; researcher: Laura Stoffels, Ph.D.; fabricator: Richard Miller

Inspired by the structure of a leaf and designed by a
team of researchers at the Bio-ID Lab at the University
College of London Bartlett School of Architecture, the
modular tiles use algae cells to clean wastewater and
enable rural artisan communities to regenerate water
for manufacturing.

3. PRODUCT NOMINEE: K-BRIQ
Designed by Gabriela Medero, Ph.D., and Samuel Chapman,Ph.D.,
of Kenoteq

PRODUCTS OF THE TIME
Included in the Design Museum's 2020 Beazley
Designs of the Year (DOTY) is a segment on product
design that speaks very much to the times in which
we live. Nominees in the category zeroed in on
everything from health safety and air pollution to
sustainable building materials and more.
The London-based museum is currently closed due
to COVID-19 restrictions, but it is still possible to
tour the DOTY exhibit as we've done everything else
this past year: virtually. For more details and some
of the nominees and winners from the architecture
category, see " London Eyes Design, " p. 18.

With at least 90 percent of its content stemming from
recycled construction and demolition waste, the
sustainable brick doesn't require fossil fuels or fi ring
to manufacture and leaves a signifi cantly smaller
carbon footprint than traditional bricks.
4. PRODUCT NOMINEE:
SELF-SANITIZING DOOR HANDLE
Designed by Sum Ming Wong and Kin Pong Li

Created by two University of Hong Kong students
to reduce the transmission of infections, the handle
is coated in titanium oxide, which reacts to light
to break down pathogens. The light comes from a
custom-designed generator that powers a UV LED
lamp embedded into the handle.
(Images 3 & 4: Felix Speller for the Design Museum)

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