DESIGN DISPATCH

Max Lamb Proves He Can Make Cardboard Shine, and Other News

Our daily look at the world through the lens of design.

Cardboard chairs by Max Lamb. Image courtesy of Gallery Fumi

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Max Lamb Proves He Can Make Cardboard Shine

When material polymath Max Lamb was seeking inspiration for a new collection with longtime partner Gallery Fumi, he didn’t have to look further than his studio. From the everyday delivery boxes littering his studio to the unbleached cardboard tubes in which he ships his tufted rugs, cardboard was plentiful enough to form the basis of a full range of furniture. Lamb layers various shapes of brown paper and secures them with bolts, screws, and paper gum tape. The results comprise some 34 one-of-a-kind seating, furniture, and accessory pieces, from a gently faceted chair daubed with acrylic paint to chunky stools darkened with linseed paint, each showing off its material roots while envisioning a more sustainable future. —Jesse Dorris

“Franchise Freedom” by Drift. Photography by James Harris, courtesy of Pace Gallery

Drift will stage a massive, 1,000-drone performance over Central Park later this month.

The artist duo Drift, composed of Ralph Nauta and Lonneke Gordijn, will showcase their drone performance Franchise Freedom in New York City’s Central Park later this month. The October performance will be grander than previous ones, featuring 1,000 drones lighting up the Manhattan sky, with three stagings over the Central Park Lake. Drift’s five-year effort to realize the performance involved advocacy for changes in drone flight restrictions in the city, resulting in them securing a unique permit for the event. Their art aims to convey the universal message of unity and cooperation, drawing inspiration from nature’s swarming patterns.

Molteni&C launches an auction in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Molteni&C has launched an auction in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), unveiling a special edition of Herzog & de Meuron’s Porta Volta armchairs in a pink shade. The chairs feature a solid wood frame and a comfortably curved back that extends seamlessly into armrests. All proceeds from the auction, hosted on LiveAuctioneers until October 31, will be donated to BCRF. Founded by Even H. Lauder in 1993, the organization stands as the world’s leading private funder of breast cancer research, driving scientific inquiry to advance our understanding of the disease and inch closer to a cure.

Mario Botta and Emilio Pizzi’s new tower for the Teatro alla Scala. Photography by Giovanni Hänninen

Mario Botta’s long-awaited tower addition to Milan’s Teatro alla Scala is now complete. 

Earlier this week, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan celebrated the inauguration of its new tower on Via Verdi, designed by architects Mario Botta and Emilio Pizzi. The tower, marking a significant milestone in the theater’s history, comprises 11 floors dedicated to offices, ballet rehearsal rooms, and backstage facilities for scene assembly. A state-of-the-art Orchestra rehearsal room will also be completed in the spring. In the early 2000s, the theater underwent a transformation, adding two distinct volumes to the neoclassical structure: a parallelepiped-shaped stage tower and an elliptic column for artists’ dressing rooms. 

Foster + Partners reveals visuals for an airy technology campus expansion in Oxford.

Foster + Partners has unveiled visuals for the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) campus in Oxford, originally established for R&D and now undergoing expansion. The campus, spanning 323,000 square feet, will include research labs, a clinic, and educational spaces. Designed for BREEAM Outstanding and WELL Platinum accreditation, it fosters collaboration among researchers, scientists, and patients, featuring a treetop walkway that connects Littlemore House and Oxford Science Park. This campus is part of a global network for EIT, aiming to enhance partnerships in biotech communities and support the Ellison Scholars program.

United Airlines is rolling out a boarding process that may save two minutes per flight.

United Airlines is streamlining its boarding process by allowing economy class passengers with window seats to board before those in middle and aisle seats. This change, known as WILMA (window-middle-aisle), is expected to reduce boarding times by up to two minutes per flight. It will apply to domestic and some international flights, while passengers in first class and business class, as well as pre-boarding groups, will remain unaffected. United Airlines previously tested and used this method in 2017; experts anticipate further improvements in boarding efficiency could be explored in the future.

Today’s attractive distractions:

Researchers locate a century-old shipwreck 800 feet below Lake Superior.

Angelenos reveal their city’s uniform is more than a Dodgers hat and jeans.

Cheesecake is on the menu of Miami’s new Golden Girls–themed restaurant.

Six paintings stolen from a Dutch town hall end up on a detective’s doorstep.

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