WEEK IN REVIEW

INTERVIEW WITH COUNTERSPACE'S SUMAYYA VALLY

on the occasion of milano arch week 2023, designboom met south african architect sumayya vally to discuss the trajectory of her practice, ethos, and plans for the future. 'If someone has achieved a trajectory, it's because they followed who they are, what they have to say, and the inner-purpose that they needed to pursue. I evaluate the things that we work on and the next steps of the practice in terms of that inner-purpose, because I think it’s a misnomer to chase success without following purpose,' the architect and principal of counterspace tells us. 'I feel like our generation is very motivated by success and that worries me for the future of architecture, because there are so many wrongs that need to be righted.' read our conversation in full here, and discover more recent interviews here.

USING AI AS A DESIGN TOOL TO REIMAGINE THE FUTURE OF FURNITURE

SPACE10, IKEA's research and design lab, is using artificial intelligence as a creative design tool to explore the future of living. together with swiss agency panter&tourron, the team has envisioned a recyclable, flat-pack sofa that can be easily carried around with a total weight of 10 kg. 'couch in an envelope' is currently on view at the SPACE10 gallery in copenhagen as part of the exhibition 'design in the age of AI'.

A TWO-PERSON STOOL BLENDING WOODWORKING WITH ROBOTICS

a group of students at MIT blended CNC milling and woodworking with the precision of robotics to create a two-person stool that rekindles human connection. as individuals sit back-to-back and lean on each other for support, a connection is forged and conversations flow. ‘it serves as a gentle reminder that human connection and interaction are the essence of our existence,’ says the design team. see more submissions by our readers here, and find out how to upload your own project here.

the weekly is an inside review curated by sofia lekka angelopoulou.