Most of the time for me, chairs are just for sitting. I look for the most comfortable one to park myself in. Or when I am desperate to sit because I’ve been standing for a long time, just about any chair would do. But lately we’ve seen chairs become much more than just a resting place. We’ve seen a lot of innovative designs that make them a conversation piece or a statement about one thing or another. And even in concept designs, there have been a lot of interesting chair designs, even if I sometimes think I probably wouldn’t sit on it. The Octopus armchair concept emerges as a testament to responsible creativity. This piece not only showcases modern aesthetics but also embodies a commitment to environmental consciousness. It addresses the pressing issue of plastic waste by transforming discarded materials into a functional and stylish object. Its complex form is cast from crushed plastic, resulting in a single, cohesive piece. This approach not only repurposes waste but also ensures that the chair can be reprocessed into new items if it becomes damaged or obsolete, promoting a circular lifecycle. Designer: Alex Rekhlitskyi Beyond its sustainable foundation, the Octopus armchair captivates with its design. The convex legs seamlessly transition into an anatomically inspired seat, featuring concentric rings that deepen towards the center. This design not only offers visual intrigue but also provides ergonomic comfort, creating an embracing effect that conforms to the human body. It gives off the look of a baby octopus frozen in time, hence the name. The renders show it off more as a sculpture piece rather than an actual chair that you can sit on. As to how comfortable it can be, we can only know once prototypes have been made and real people have tried to sit on it. By integrating sustainability with design, the Octopus armchair encourages consumers to reconsider their relationship with everyday objects, not simply as disposable commodities, but as items that can carry deeper purpose and responsibility. It invites us to question the origins, lifecycle, and afterlife of the products we use, nudging a shift from a throwaway culture toward one of conscious consumption. This armchair serves as a powerful reminder that functionality and environmental responsibility can not only coexist but enhance each other, elevating both form and purpose. Its design challenges the misconception that sustainable products must compromise on style or comfort, proving instead that eco-consciousness can be central to innovation. The post Octopus chair concept brings sustainable innovation and modern design together first appeared on Yanko Design.

Fenix Art Museum / MAD ArchitectsSave this picture!© Iwan BaanMuseum, Refurbishment•Rotterdam, The Netherlands Architects: MAD Architects Area Area of this architecture project Area:  8000 m² Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2025 Photographs Photographs: Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:  Goppion Project Contractors: Products translation missing: en-US.post.svg.material_description More SpecsLess Specs Save this picture! Text description provided by the architects. Fenix is a major new museum that explores migration through the lens of art, opening on a landmark site in Rotterdam's City Harbor, developed by internationally acclaimed architects MAD. With a rapidly expanding collection of historic and contemporary objects, Fenix tells the story of migration through a series of encounters with art, architecture, photography, food, and history. Located in what was once part of the world's largest transshipment warehouse, on a peninsula in Rotterdam's historic port district, Fenix overlooks the docks where millions of migrant journeys began and ended. The monumental 16,000 square meter warehouse has been transformed to become Fenix by MAD Architects with restoration consultation by Bureau Polderman. This is MAD Architects' first commission for a public cultural building in Europe, as well as the first museum to be built by a Chinese firm in Europe. The project was initiated by the Droom en Daad Foundation, founded in 2016. The Foundation is helping redefine Rotterdam for the 21st century - developing new kinds of arts and culture institutions and fostering new creative talent that reflects the city's diversity, its spirit, and its historySave this picture!Restoration of the 172-meter-long façade of the former shipping and storage warehouse began in 2018, led by Bureau Polderman, and took a year and a half to complete. Some architectural details date back to 1923 when the warehouse opened, while others were part of the 1948-1950 reconstruction plan. In the past 60 years, many additions were made and the building's function changed many 4mes. The façade lacked uniformity. Fronts and frames were rusty. All elements along the façade have now been restored, refurnished, or rebuilt. The characteristic windows were restored to reflect the style of 1923. The 2,200 sqm expanse of the south façade was blast-cleaned and cement stucco was reapplied. The characteristic sliding doors at street level have been restored to their original post-war state, with doors and frames repainted in their original green color. A serene rhythm of columns, windows, and fronts has emerged that emphasizes the horizontal quality of the building.Save this picture!Save this picture!A defining new feature of the building is the Tornado - a double helix staircase evocative of rising air that climbs from the ground floor and flows up and out of the rooftop onto an outdoor platform offering spectacular panoramic views across Rotterdam and the Maas River, 24 meters above ground level. The dynamic structure is cladded in 297 polished stainless-steel panels, made in Groningen, Netherlands. The canopy that sits at the top of the structure is 17m in length and was transported by boat from Groningen to Rotterdam in pieces before being assembled and lifted into place. Inside the Tornado is a 550m long double-helix wooden staircase which emerges onto the platform, which can also be accessed via a central shaft.Save this picture!Inside the building are a series of vast gallery spaces spread over two floors, housing Fenix's growing art and historical collection, as well as a series of commissions by emerging artists from across the world. The ground floor contains exhibition and programming spaces, while the upstairs galleries are dedicated to the Fenix Collection. The museum is accessed via entrances in the centre of the north façade on the riverfront and the south façade. On arrival, visitors are immediately drawn to the base of the Tornado, whose dynamic, twisting form is lit by the glass roof above the central atrium that allows natural light to filter into the lobby. The entrance atrium features a welcome desk, museum shop, and café. At 2,275 sqm, Plein is a vast, flexible space for events and performances and will host a constantly changing programme of activity curated for and with Rotterdam's communities. Located on the ground floor on the Eastern side of the building, it features doors on three sides which can be opened out to create a welcoming covered public space. Fenix offers a number of dining options located throughout the building where visitors can encounter food cultures that have travelled the world.Save this picture!The top of the warehouse features a 6,750 sqm 'green roof', featuring sedum plants arranged in a concentric pattern, in line with the shape of the Tornado. As well as supporting biodiversity, green roofs provide insulation and store rainwater in the plants and substrate, releasing it back into the atmosphere through evaporation. This significantly reduces the burden on the sewerage system, reducing the risk of flooding and the burden on water treatment. The building uses a Thermal Energy System (TES), which stores excess heat from the building in the soil. A heat pump is connected to the TES to produce the correct temperature for the building. The aquifer serves as the source for the heat pump. By using the heat pump and passive cooling, it is possible to save up to 60 percent in heating energy and 80 percent in cooling energy. The staircase of the Tornado is made from sustainable Norwegian wood called Kebony, a leading modified wood brand established in Oslo, Norway, that uses a proven, innovative, patented technology to enhance traditional 4mber. Biobased modified wood is a sustainable building material with a significantly lower environmental impact than other building materials. Fenix repurposes a 100-year-old warehouse, restored as much as possible to its original state in the 1950s, with interventions in line with the original architecture from 1923.Save this picture!Save this picture!The building has been designed in consultation with VGR, an association specializing in making buildings as accessible and welcoming as possible. Plein and the Atrium will be publicly accessible spaces that are free to enter.Save this picture! Project gallerySee allShow less Project locationAddress:Rotterdam, The NetherlandsLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeMAD ArchitectsOffice••• MaterialsSteelConcreteMaterials and TagsPublished on May 21, 2025Cite: "Fenix Art Museum / MAD Architects" 21 May 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1030328/fenix-art-museum-mad-architects&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Chicago, like many U.S. cities, has a history of building public housing and then tearing it down. Cabrini-Green, a textbook example, was demolished decades ago, along with so many other storied campuses around the country like Pruitt-Igoe in St. Louis. The National Public Housing Museum (NPHM) opened its doors last month in Chicago’s near West Side to help tell this multivalent, often times tumultuous story. It’s sited at 919 South Ada Street inside the last remaining vestige of Jane Addams Homes, a New Deal–era campus by Holabird & Root. The institution is the first of its kind. NPHM was founded by public housing residents—its goal is to become “a place to experience stories of hope and personal achievement amid struggle, resistance, and resilience,” NPHM said in a statement. WPA posters at the National Public Housing Museum (Barry Brecheisen) AN first reported on the project in 2016, when the Chicago Housing Authority approved the redevelopment of the site. Landon Bone Baker Architects (LBBA) oversaw the adaptive reuse effort, shepherded by Peter Landon. The campaign took 18 years to complete from start to finish—the most noticeable changes on the exterior are new signage, painted onto the brick facade, and a new entryway. Sunny Fischer cofounded NPHM and now sits on the board. She grew up in the Bronx at a public housing campus. Fischer called NPHM a Site of Conscience, or a space to remember and address past injustices and their ongoing legacies. “As a Site of Conscience, we join museums around the world committed to telling complicated and difficult stories, preserving history, and imagining a more just future,” Fischer said. View Inside the Turovitz Apartment (Barry Brecheisen) Upon entry, visitors can see illustrative WPA advertisements for public housing, bygone relics from a time when the federal government invested in such things. Three historic apartments were reconstructed at a 1:1 to scale to show how different generations of public housing residents lived. Instead of your conventional gift shop, the museum store is co-operatively run by public housing residents. NPHM also has a REC Room, a curated space by DJ Spinderella showcasing the beats and melodies born on public housing campuses. The Doris Conant Demand the Impossible Advocacy Space is meant to encourage discussions about social justice. Art by Amanda Williams, Olalekan Jeyifous, and Alphawood Foundation Sculpture Garden animates the building, together with WPA-era Animal Court sculptures by Edgar Miller. In the REC Room, records are on display in wood shelves. (Percy Ollie Jr. of Ollie Photography) Ephemera on display throughout NPHM speaks to the cultural, social, and economic dimensions of life in public housing. (Barry Brecheisen) Francine Washington grew up in public housing and is now a chairperson of the Central Advisory Committee for the Chicago Housing Authority. “This museum is personal,” Washington added. “It’s the first in the country to tell our stories—not just the bricks and buildings but the people who made public housing, home. We’ve always had a voice. Now we have a place that listens.” NPHM executive director Dr. Lisa Yun Lee said the longterm mission is solidifying housing’s place as a human right, not a commodity. Lee envisions it as an “important civic anchor that brings people together to imagine innovative solutions and envision a more equitable future.”