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These greenhouses support self-sufficient communities

Inflatable greenhouses by Eliza Hague, India

Jaipur – Architecture student Eliza Hague's design for inflatable greenhouses could help communities to grow their own food.

Made from shellac-coated bamboo, the greenhouse covering offers a more sustainable alternative to the polythene sheeting most commonly used in India, which needs replacing yearly and generates excessive plastic waste. To create the paper-like material, Hague used bamboo and covered it with a shellac coating to make the covering weather-resistant and longer-lasting.

‘In light of the pandemic, the idea that architecture can provide spaces to encourage self-sufficient living has become more prevalent as we rely on supermarkets more than ever,’ explains Hague. 'This notion stimulated the desire to create a design that not only responded to its local environment, but also proposed innovative solutions to these challenges.’

As India faces the challenge of feeding an ever-growing urban population, Hague is empowering citizens in Jaipur to make New Urban Farms more sustainable and accessible.

Christopher Raeburn’s new collection is entirely circular

Raefound by Christopher Raeburn, UK

UK – The designer is not creating any new garments for London Fashion Week’s digital event.

As part of its commitment to the environment, Christopher Raeburn has launched Raefound, an evolving non-seasonal range of original, unworn military clothing and accessories. The collection was personally sourced by Raeburn and features no new fashion items or waste. ‘What could be more radical than making nothing at all?’ asks Raeburn.

Each item in the collection is genuine military wear and was selected for its inherent functionality, wearability, durability and unique style, with added Raeburn branding. Customers can discover the items’ provenance through a QR code, with the first range of garments hailing from French, Austrian and Dutch militaries.

With fashion industry waste set to reach 148m tons annually by 2030, according to Global Fashion Agenda and Boston Consulting Group, brands are innovating with commercial programmes that drive a circular economy in the fashion sector.

sChoker is a social distancing necklace

India – A prototype designed by India-based architecture practice Architecture Discipline offers a technical way to maintain social distancing.

The sChoker is a smart wearable that uses simple thermal sensors to monitor the wearer’s proximity to others. Crafted from carbon fibre, the prototype design aims to ease people’s return into social gatherings and public spaces. In particular, the device could help those with visual or hearing impairments to detect whether they are maintaining distance.

‘While the world is still grappling with ways to deal with the pandemic, what is evident is that social distancing is here to stay and the fact that it will change our way of life in some ways for ever,’ explain designers Akshat Bhatt, Amit Gupta and Pankaj Kumar. ‘The need was to uphold privacy and anonymity, and allow people to be socially normal and not distant.’

The trend for Privacy Hardware is now evolving in line with the current health crisis, offering new ways to protect and preserve social distancing measures.

sChoker by Architecture Discipline, India

Stat: Affluent Americans seek wellbeing-boosting homes

Plastic Rain by Andrés Reisinger

The worlds of wellness and luxury home-ownership are becoming ever-more intertwined, according to a new study by Luxury Portfolio International. The report, The Great Wellness Surge: Bringing the Best Life Home, estimates that wellness is set to become a £3.3 trillion ($4.2 trillion, €3.7 trillion) industry for the next generation of high-end home-buyers.

The study finds that 72% of luxury home-owners say wellness is important because it contributes to their overall happiness, while 48% say wellness helps them to tune out of the noise of day-to-day life. ‘The results from this latest study [show] a seismic shift in how consumers view their properties: not just home sites adorned with designer finishes and furnishings, but havens that cater for mental and physical wellbeing,’ says Stephanie Anton, president of Luxury Portfolio Chicago.

As health and wellness become recognised as luxuries, wealthy consumers are looking to embed domestic serenity into the home. For more, read our microtrend Silent Homes.