Domus 1101 is now available

Glass, a material of endless transformations, takes center stage in Domus's May issue. The editorial, penned by the Guest Editor for 2025, Bjarke Ingels, sets the tone by reflecting on glass's journey from a luxury item to an everyday presence and its current resurgence fueled by architectural and design experimentation. Ingels underscores the material's remarkable adaptability, its ability to shift from transparency to opacity, from seeming absence to tangible presence, from pliability to rigidity – truly, new creative horizons for a material as old as time.

The essay section unfolds with diverse perspectives. In "Symbol of the Possible," Sophie Wolf charts a historical course from glass's earliest uses to the groundbreaking innovations of the 19th and 20th centuries, highlighting its pivotal role in the evolution of light-filled and open architectural spaces. James O’Callaghan, in "Towards New Glazing Possibilities," offers a structural engineer's insight, exploring how the relentless pursuit of transparency has propelled glass engineering toward ever bolder and lighter solutions, all while grappling with the imperative of sustainability. Rounding out this section, Niklas Dahlström and Anders Solvarm, in "The Future of Buildings," introduce Naturvillan's philosophy, where glass becomes a cornerstone in weaving together nature and living environments in a self-sustaining and health-promoting cycle.

The visual narratives are crafted by Filippo Cartapani and Shane Dalke, architects from BIG working alongside the Guest Editor, providing a succinct yet comprehensive analysis of this potent material. "The flows of glass" maps out its intricate production chain and the challenges inherent in its recycling. "Types of glass" delivers a technical overview of the various manufacturing processes and their resulting properties.Our studio visit transports us into the creative realm of SANAA, through a captivating dialogue between Bjarke Ingels and Kazuyo Sejima – a rare meeting of two towering figures in architecture spanning the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The interview illuminates how the Japanese practice has explored glass not merely as a clear divider but as a material with its own distinct identity, shaping fluid and unexpected spaces in such iconic projects as the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion and the Rolex Learning Center.

The architecture section showcases a range of projects that underscore glass's versatility. Shohei Shigematsu of OMA, in collaboration with Olafur Eliasson and Sebastian Behmann of Studio Other Spaces, presents the Gundlach Building and the "Common Sky" installation at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, where transparency acts as a unifying and inclusive element. Qiang Zou and Mathieu Forest of Zone Of Utopia guide us through the Ice Cubes cultural center in China, a translucent glass sculptural form that evokes the pristine quality of ice. Jean Verville unveils his creative laboratory, Bruj, Cabinet de curiosités, a testament to spatial adaptability achieved through sliding glass partitions. Makoto Takei and Chie Nabeshima of TNA describe the Fukutake Tres F Gallery in Japan, where slender glass blurs the lines between inside and out, seamlessly integrating art with the surrounding natural world. Christoph Zeller, Ingrid Moye, and Katie Paterson contribute "Mirage," a poetic installation of molten glass cylinders infused with desert sands, reflecting light within Apple Park's olive grove. Finally, Masoud Akbarzadeh, Joseph Robert Yost, Damon Bolhassani, Jens Schneider, and Romain Crelier introduce the Penn Monument for Hope, a high-performance glass bridge that defies conventional construction. Christopher Payne's portfolio offers a behind-the-scenes look at glass production, revealing the inherent beauty within its industrial and scientific processes. The design section delves into the expressive potential of glass through the work of diverse creators. Paul Cocksedge presents the Slump collection, where flat glass yields to organic forms under the influence of heat and gravity. Germans Ermičs explores the interplay of light, color, and transparency in laminated glass, culminating in his signature Ombré Glass Chair. Yuki Akari sculpts delicate, ephemeral forms in borosilicate glass, capturing the fleeting essence of water.

The issue concludes with the art section, featuring the works of Robert Comploj, who masterfully incorporates urban artifacts into Venetian and Bohemian blown glass, and Dustin Yellin, whose essay "Oxymoron" offers a poetic reflection on glass's paradoxical nature, accompanying his layered sculptures that encapsulate complex narratives. The cover story celebrates fused glass, a material that Lasvit has expertly manipulated to express the inherent materiality and imperfection of glass, in an homage to its nature as solidified liquid.

This edition of Domus thus unfolds as a comprehensive exploration of glass, a material that continues to inspire and push the boundaries of human creativity, shaping our built environment and our perception of space.

The Diary section opens with "The Fact of the Month," this time curated by Editorial Director Walter Mariotti. The destination is Osaka, where the Italian Pavilion for Expo 2025 has been inaugurated. The visionary architecture of Mario Cucinella Architects stands as a celebration of a nation that masterfully blends beauty, innovation, and sustainability, a narrative brought to life through the insightful guidance of General Commissioner Mario Vattani. The pavilion becomes a refined showcase of Italian talent, a cultural bridge ideally connecting Italy and Japan.

With exquisite intimacy, Paul Smith, in his regular "Luoghi Comuni" (Common Places) column, elevates repair and reuse to acts of profound ethical elegance, weaving personal anecdotes that resonate with an admirable awareness of the intrinsic value of objects and our responsibility to the world around us. Walter Mariotti returns with a review of "Compasso d’Oro. ADI Design Museum Collezione storica" (Compasso d’Oro. ADI Design Museum Historical Collection), a work that reveals itself as a sophisticated self-portrait of Italian design identity, a collective dialogue that transcends mere form to embrace the underlying culture and thought.

A fresh historiographical perspective emerges from the review of André Tavares's "Architecture Follows Fish," an insightful investigation that uniquely adopts the unexpected viewpoint of a marine creature to illuminate novel connections between architecture and the environment. The reflection on contemporary design is enriched by the presentation of Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby's "Not Here, Not Now," an exploration that, with ironic depth, uncovers the unexpected potential of speculative design in an era defined by uncertainty.

Valentina Petrucci gathers Andrea Margaritelli's observations on the progressive erosion of Milan's public spaces, a gentle yet incisive critique of a trend that risks overshadowing collective value in favor of an elitist aesthetic. Innovation in graphic design is showcased through the QuantoRiso project, presented by Francesco Franchi, where rice packaging transforms into an elegant vehicle for scientific communication, an ingenious idea conceived by Anna Cecilia Rosso and masterfully brought to visual life by the Atto studio and illustrator Sofia Figliè.

The complex figure of Pietrangelo Buttafuoco is sketched by the Editorial Director, revealing his unconventional thinking and stimulating vision for the Venice Biennale, an intellectual who, with singular dialectical elegance, challenges the commonplaces of cultural debate.

The Reviews section offers further food for thought with Alessandro Benetti's analysis of the "Soleil.s" exhibition at the Solar Biennale, an elegant exploration of the multifaceted dimensions of solar energy as a driver of a desirable ecological transition. Alberto Mingardi delves into the significance of international trade, unraveling the intricate dynamics underpinning global economic growth. Paola Carimati celebrates the Go! Borderless initiative, a tribute to the freedom of movement between Gorizia and Nova Gorica, and highlights the fertile creative ground of ITS Arcademy in Trieste, a melting pot of talent and cultural exchange. Minimalism in design finds sophisticated expression in the work of Muller Van Severen, presented by Loredana Mascheroni, a harmonious dialogue between sculpture and function that translates into objects of exquisite simplicity.

The section dedicated to younger readers, curated with delicate care by Elena Sommariva, introduces the Rainbow Chair by Mitten Studio, an example of evolutionary design that blends functionality and refined aesthetics with an eye toward the future. Emerging Talents shine through the evocative creations of Furn Object, the brand of Anna and Sergii Baierzdorf, described by Silvana Annicchiarico. Their sculptural furnishings stand as silent testaments to resilience and beauty in an era often marked by turmoil.  Companies feature Gibus, whose evolution in the bioclimatic pergola sector is expertly narrated by Antonio Armano, revealing a fusion of technical innovation, refined design, and a growing commitment to sustainability. Finally, the finely curated Re-editions by Valeria Casali present the Castiglioni Collection by Mamoli, a tribute to the functional elegance of the master Achille Castiglioni through faucets that transcend their mere utility to become icons of timeless design.  We hope these pages offer you not just a glimpse into glass, but a lens through which to observe the ceaseless metamorphosis of human creativity. Happy reading.