Sarah Willemart and Matthieu Muller transform Samsung Eco-Package boxes into animal toys

In this video, Dezeen x Samsung Out of the Box Competition finalist Sarah Willemart explains how she created a series of animal companions from Samsung television boxes.

The toys, which Willemart designed together with Matthieu Muller, are called Endangered Animals and intended to help parents teach their children about declining biodiversity.

There are three animal designs, a polar bear, a black rhinoceros and a sea turtle, which can be made from boxes for Samsung's The Sero, The Serif and The Frame televisions.

When children are not playing with the toys, they can be used around the home as decorative pieces of furniture.

The concept is one of five finalists in the Dezeen x Samsung Out of the Box Competition to create innovative household objects by repurposing cardboard packaging.

The contest draws on Samsung's Eco-Package concept, which aims to reduce waste by providing customers with a way to repurpose their television packaging into new household items.

The finalists were selected from 15 shortlisted designs, which included a planter, a sneaker rack and even an amplifier for mobile phones.

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Ying Chang creates furniture out of paper for Malleable State collection

Sheets of paper are layered with glue and then moulded by hand to create London designer Ying Chang's Malleable State collection of furniture and homeware.

The series is continually expanding and so far includes a number of shelves, mirrors and waterproof vases, as well as structural tables and stools.

"I chose paper as my medium because it is one of the most commonly used and discarded materials," Chang told Dezeen.

"By applying a craft approach to paper, I was able to explore and expand its charismatic limits. The results reflect and play on our perception of value."

Much like with papier-mache, the wet amalgam of glue and paper becomes a malleable, clay-like composite, which can be shaped into various organic forms.

But rather than mashing smaller pieces of paper together to create a pulp, Chang's technique sees large sheets left intact and stacked on top of each other to create a smooth surface.

The silhouettes of the pieces respond to paper's unique texture. Chang's furniture often features crumpled details, as in the base of the mirrors or the carefully folded strips that make up the frame of the stools.

Once dried, Chang claims the strength of the material can rival that of wood.

"One piece of paper has limited strength. However, like many other materials, it becomes stronger if bonded together 20 or 30 times," said the designer.

When she first started working with this technique, Chang primarily used brown paper in a shade similar to that of cardboard, in order to let the material itself shine.

But since then she has introduced a rainbow of different colours as well as digitally printed patterns into the mix.

"The aim is to use the objects to pose a question about what our expectations are of different materials and their affective value," said Chang.

"To make us reassess the way we value things, which heavily depends on their materiality and the context in which we come across them, from the museum to the domestic."

Part of the Malleable State collection is currently on display in the Kleureyck: Van Eyck's Colours in Design exhibition at the Design Museum Gent.

Previously, Chang has developed a modular table based on the grid system used by architects and graphic designers, which was showcased in her Royal College of Art graduate show in 2014.

Other experiments in crafting furniture using paper include a duo of tables by Charlotte Jonckheer, which is made from stone dust and recycled paper, as well as Thomas Barger's cartoonish paper pulp chairs.

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Gitai Architects builds rammed-earth observatory in the Negev desert

Gitai Architects used rammed earth and stones from the nearby Mitzpe Ramon crater to build the Landroom observatory in Israel's Negev desert.

Landroom is intended to function as a shelter from the sun in daytime and an observatory at night. The structure measures just six square metres and has space for only two people.

Israeli studio Gitai Architects built the minimalist structure at the western observation point of the Mitzpe Ramon crater, where it is easily accessible from the town of Mitzpe Ramon via a natural path.

The square building has a circular interior and an opening facing the desert, as well as a built-in seat where travellers can rest.

It has no roof but is instead open to the desert air to give visitors a view of the night sky framed by its pressed-earth walls.

The studio described Landroom as "a minimal environmental structure designed on the verge between territory and a landscape object."

Architect Ben Gitai, founder of Gitai Architects, used local materials – stones and soil from the surrounding desert – to construct the rammed-earth observatory.

"It is a microtopography design process," he told Dezeen. "The technique of the rammed earth construction consists of excavating the local earth and ramming it into designed moulds in order to shape the walls."

The architect had previously used the technique for his Earth Memorial project, which he said is the only memorial in the world made from earth, and finds it very durable.

"The compiled layers of earth contain natural minerals and their molecules only get stronger with time," he said. "Many sections of the Great Wall of China were built in this way."

The project was commissioned by the Mitzpe Ramon municipality, and the studio is currently also developing a large capsule hotel "in the same architectural spirit" for the municipality, Gitai said.

"The local community now see it as an example of how to build in the area," he added.

Landroom was inspired by Esther, Gitai's newborn daughter, whom he wanted to show the importance of looking up to the sky for inspiration.

"Landroom is a call to our ancient instinct to look up to the stars for guidance," Gitai said. "Inspired by Esther, the queen of the stars, this project is an ode to the spirit, to creation and to freedom."

The project will also be shown as part of the Time Space Existence exhibition organised by the European Cultural Centre at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021.

Gitai Architects was founded in 2014 and has offices in Paris and Haifa.

Other projects in the Negev desert include Plesner Architects' Six Senses Shaharut hotel and Amir Mann-Ami Shinar Architects and Moshe Zur Architects' Ramon Airport wrapped in faceted aluminium panelling.

Photography is by Dan Bronfeld.

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Desai Chia Architecture perches black Ledge House on rocky hillside

New York practice Desai Chia Architecture has wrapped a house in Connecticut situated on top of a rocky ledge with charred cedar and large windows that overlook the hilly landscape.

Ledge House is located in Cornwall, Connecticut on a site that is occupied by a large boulder deposited on the hillside hundreds of thousands of years ago when the nearby Appalachian Mountains were forming.

The 2,400-square-foot (223-square-metre) house features a gabled roofline that takes cues from traditional barn architecture and the historic covered bridge in West Cornwall.

Its facade is clad with charred cedar, which is darkened using the Japanese technique shou sugi ban, and it is topped with aluminium roof.

"The Ledge House clients asked us to design a new home that would resonate with the history of the Connecticut Valley, include a material palette that is environmentally friendly, and work with the challenging site on a large rock ledge," Desai Chia Architecture said.

"The boulder is a rugged companion to the house and acts as a muse for the uphill forest views," it added.

To construct the one-storey structure the studio removed an existing cabin on the property, leaving only its foundation that was then expanded to bring the house closer to the rugged ledge. Reusing the existing foundation saved the project money and also reduced construction waste.

To eliminate the need for cross bracing the studio has used balloon framing, a method that involves long studs spanning foundation to the roof that are fixed with nails instead of joinery. It takes its name balloon from being lightweight.

Large rectangular windows and glass doors span the length of the house on two sides providing views of the hilly landscape and boulder, while also allowing for cross-ventilating breezes to cool the house.

A wood deck attached to the back of the house overlooks the valley and is surrounded with grated metal fencing and railings. The space is furnished with chairs and a picnic table for enjoying the view from the outdoors.

On the opposite elevation, an additional terrace faces a wooded forest and has pale gravel stones.

Inside, Ledge House comprises an open-plan living and kitchen painted white with light hardwood floors that contrast the black exterior cladding. Tall vaulted ceilings make the space feel larger.

Black track lighting wraps around the open-plan room and connects to the outdoor terraces that overlook the forest and valley.

The master bedroom is situated at one end of the house, and two smaller bedrooms are at the other end.

"The nucleus living area between [the bedrooms] allows the owners and their guests to merge and socialise together in a lofted, open area that connects across the ledge to a forest terrace and a valley terrace: indoor and outdoor living flow seamlessly through," the studio said.

In the kitchen, a long island counter with black stools faces a wall of white cabinetry.

To separate the cooking and dining area from the sitting room, Desai Chia Architecture inserted a tunnel fireplace into a rectangular concrete volume. A black chimney pipe extends out from the long structure and up to the ceiling.

Desai Chia Architecture was established in 1996 by Arjun Desai and Katherine Chia. Other residences by the studio also use blackened wood, including a holiday home on Long Island and a dwelling on Lake Michigan with an angular roof.

Photography is by Paul Warchol.

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Project credits:

Lead architects: Katherine Chia, Arjun Desai
Design team: Katherine Chia, Arjun Desai, Troy Lacombe, Brad Isnard
Structural engineering: David Kufferman
Civil engineering: A.H. Howland Associates
Landscape: AB Landscaping
Builder: Classic Renovations LLC
Fireplace: Get Real Surface
Kitchen joinery: Bulthaup

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Seven dental clinics designed to take the pain out of check ups

Architects and designers have created these seven dental offices with bright and colourful interiors to offer patients a more enjoyable and worry free experience.

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Dent Protetyka, Poland, Adam Wiercinski

The pick-up window inside this Polish denture clinic designed by Adam Wiercinski is outlined with green lines that form the shape of medical services cross.

Located inside an old tenement building in Poznan, the 10-square-metre space is modelled after the city's small kiosk shops. Steel mesh separates the waiting room and shopfront from the tiny consultation room situated in the rear of the space.

Find out more about Dent Protetyka ›

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The Urban Dentist, Germany, Studio Karhard

Studio Karhard designed The Urban Dentist in Berlin to mimic the flashy interiors of Berghain, the electronica nightclub in the German city also completed by the firm.

LED lights border the edges of the fluted glass walls, while in the treatment rooms the sink and supplies are stored inside a pink cabinet that is topped with a colourful speckled counter.

Find out more about The Urban Dentist ›

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Sou Smile, Brazil, SuperLimão

Brazilian studio SuperLimão inserted a pink polycarbonate volume inside Sou Smile, a dental health treatment centre in São Paulo that manufactures dental appliances.

The rounded structure houses a consultation room, while the rest of the converted warehouse building is outfitted with open-plan workstations and a laboratory for manufacturing dental appliances.

Find out more about Sou Smile ›

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Waiting room, China, RIGI Design

A rectangular "dining" table and play area for children feature in this colourful clinic in Tianjin, China designed by RIGI Design.

The play space is framed in the shape of a house and decorated with animal-shaped furnishings. Treatment rooms are located along a corridor fronted with glass walls. Large black digits painted on the hardwood floor designate the room number.

Find out more about the waiting room ›

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Ortho Wijchen, Netherlands, Studio Prototype

For this office in Wichen, Netherlands has inserted the treatment areas between translucent glass partitions. To ease patient's comfort each the of chairs faces a wall of windows that provide a view of a grassy pastoral landscape.

"The open setup of the plan and the large panoramic view towards the garden create a light and spacious place in which the patient feels comfortable," the studio said.

Find out more about the Ortho Wijchen ›

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Go Orthodontistes, Canada, Natasha Thorpe Design

Slatted timber panels clad the walls and reception desk in this orthodontist practice in Quebec, Canada designed by Natasha Thorpe Design.

The boards of Douglas fir wood cover storage cabinets and form shelves in the office. In the consultation room there are several dental chairs and a row of black cabinets. Translucent glass spans across the laboratory and instrument sterilisation room concealing its interiors from the outside.

Find out more about the Go Orthodontistes ›

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Impress, Spain, Raúl Sanchez Architects

The curve of a smile informed the design for Impress, a dental clinic in Barcelona designed by Raúl Sanchez Architects.

Large rounded boards crafted using pine wood form partitions in the office. The studio chose the material to add warmth to the typically white and sterile environment. Red, blue and grey accents add a playful element to the design and tie in with the company's branding.

Find out more about the Impress ›

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