Need to Know
14 : 09 : 20

Germany & Japan – Architect Terunobu Fujimori is bringing the essence of Japanese tea ceremonies to an elevated treehouse.

Opening as part of Hombroich rocket station, a now disused NATO missile base in Germany, the Ein Stein Haus teahouse is designed to capture the unique heritage and principles of tea ceremonies in Japan. Inspired by Zen Buddhism, the three metre-high construction, reachable by a winding path surrounded by pine trees, sits on stilts and combines a black robinia wood structure with a narrow metal staircase. Externally, the roof appears to curve inwards, with any geometric elements intentionally broken up to reflect wabi-sabi aesthetics.

‘When designing teahouse architecture, you have to create a separate world that is distinct from everyday life. The key is to let something float above the ground,’ says Terunobu Fujimori.

As consumers seek escapism and disconnection, they’re looking to their lived environments to experience contemplation and reach Enlightened States.

London – Renew is a concept that envisages how smartphones could become more sustainable through flexible ownership.

By separating the screen and the battery from the main ‘computer’, design agency Morrama has created a concept for a smartphone which can easily be upgraded. The phone allows users to switch screens, exchange the battery and upgrade both the phone’s computer and camera when an advanced version comes out. Consequently, Renew promotes the idea of a more sustainable and cost-effective smartphone, for both users and brands.

Sustainable materials, such as biodegradable corn starch for the screens or nano carbon for the batteries, play a key role in the design. Yet its sustainability is only evident in how it is used, according to Morrama: ‘It’s simple to imagine your smartphone having an interface that tracks your activity and calculates your carbon emissions. Then perhaps we will all make better choices in the apps we use, the photographs we store and the amount of time we spend glued to our phone screen.’

Renew offers a solution for the culture of newness being perpetuated by tech giants, a highly polluting system that is increasingly facing a backlash.

American adults in the LGBT+ community are likely to be the first to travel again, reveals a new study by Harris Poll. Despite apprehension as health and safety concerns prevail, LGBT+ adults are reportedly more confident in rekindling their wanderlust than their non-LGBT counterparts.

Of 2,508 Americans surveyed, just over half (51%) of LGBT+ adults said they expect to go on holiday in 2020 compared with 46% of non-LGBT adults. When it comes to frequency of travel during the pandemic, LGBT+ adults have reportedly taken an average 3.6 leisure trips in the past year compared with 2.3 leisure trips by non-LGBT adults.

With the LGBT+ community among the first people to return to travel, travel and hospitality brands need to seize the opportunity to create safer, more inclusive destinations.