The July-August 2025 double issue of Domus is dedicated to two distinct materials: "Fabric and Plastic." These two dimensions fundamentally shape our world, revealing their hidden essences and unexpected connections. Bjarke Ingels, the 2025 Guest Editor, paints a vivid picture in his editorial of the dichotomy between plastic—dubbed the 20th century's "enfant terrible" for its promises of a lightweight future and innovative applications (like the inflatable domes of Biosphere 2 and Lego bricks, embodying "aesthetic sustainability")—and its simultaneous status as a symbol of waste and pollution.
Domus 1103 hits the shelves
In the double issue of Domus for July August, guest editor 2025 Bjarke Ingels focuses on fabric and plastic, two historic supports for architecture, imagining their future political and aesthetic scenarios.
Curated by Filippo Cartapani, Shane Dalke
Text Alejandro Zaera-Polo
Curated by Filippo Cartapani, Shane Dalke
Text Petra Blaisse
Text Nick Tidball
Interview Bjarke Ingels with José Selgas, Lucía Cano
Text MAD
Text Maio Architects
Text Fernando Rodríguez, Pablo Oriol
Photo Luis Asín
Text Guillermo Santomà + TEST
Photo Gregori Civera
Photo Wolfgang Volz/Laif/Contrasto
Text Niko Koronis
Photo Mathijs Labadie
Text Charlotte Kingsnorth
Text Tate Modern
Photo Jeon Taeg Su
Text Christoph Niemann
Text Walter Mariotti
Text Valentina Petrucci
Text Loredana Mascheroni
Text Simona Bordone
Text Elena Sommariva
Text Silvana Annicchiarico
Text Antonio Armano
Text Valeria Casali
Text Stefano Mancuso
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- La redazione di Domus
- 05 July 2025
Fabric, on the other hand, emerges as the elegant, understated counterpart, the silent support of architecture, from iconic figures like Lilly Reich and Mies van der Rohe, to Frei Otto's tensile structures for the 1972 Munich Olympics, to SOM's monumental Hajj Terminal in Jeddah from '81, and even Ingels' bold explorations with inflatables like The Orb at Burning Man and the 2016 Serpentine Pavilion.
Delving into the nature of these materials, Alejandro Zaera-Polo kicks things off with an overview of "The Politics of Plastic," revealing how this material, originally developed for military purposes, permeated post-war daily life (from Tupperware to Barbie dolls). Zaera-Polo explores the paradox of a material that, while offering freedom and lightness, often succumbed to an "atetonicty" that masked its architectural potential. He also discusses the "Sick Building Syndrome" (SBS) caused by the non-breathability of plastics, while acknowledging their virtues in the "World of Greenhouses," where polycarbonate, PTFE, and ETFE have revolutionized agriculture and architecture.
In parallel, Filippo Cartapani and Shane Dalke curate the "Tables," a visual guide through the "Soft Constraints" of fabric and plastic, from nomadic tents to contemporary experimental structures. Petra Blaisse enchants us with her reflection on "The Emancipation of the Curtain," recounting how she introduced the idea of movement and change into architecture through textiles, with examples ranging from the Kunsthal in Rotterdam to the Maison à Bordeaux. The journey into the future of materials continues with Nick Tidball, co-founder of Vollebak, who, in "Future of Fabrics," examines the evolution of clothing from animal hides to lab-grown spider silk and atomically engineered materials, foreshadowing fabrics capable of regulating temperature and harvesting energy.
The pages of Domus are filled with visionary projects and architects who challenge the limits of what's possible. In the "Studio Visit," Bjarke Ingels converses with José Selgas and Lucía Cano of Selgascano, who reveal how their affinity for plastic, often dictated by budget, transforms into a deep exploration of tectonic and formal possibilities through the bold use of acrylic and ETFE. MAD takes us into "Clouds in the Landscape" with the Quzhou Stadium and the Ephemeral Bubble in Japan, exploring how softness and lightness can generate unprecedented forms and new emotional connections. Maio Architects presents "Climate Tents," an innovative residential complex in Sant Feliu de Llobregat where large balconies and external fabric awnings drastically reduce energy consumption.
FRPO – Rodríguez & Oriol unveil "Transparent Energy" with the DH Ecoenergías plant in Palencia, a structure that combines a concrete base with a lightweight lantern of steel and recyclable plastic. MVRDV invites us to a "Soft Urban Plaza" with the Mega Mat in Bangkok, a giant modular carpet made of recycled plastic mats. Guillermo Santomà + TEST bring us into "A Space in Cementitious Canvas" with the Gimaguas store in Barcelona, where the ceiling, walls, and floor were clad with in-situ hardened Concrete Canvas. Finally, Erased Studio presents "Choreographies of Moving Fabric," a wedding reception setup that dynamically transforms the space. The "Portfolio" celebrates the textile epic of Christo and Jeanne-Claude through Wolfgang Volz's evocative photographs, immortalizing monumental works like the Running Fence, the Wrapped Reichstag, and the Floating Piers.
The "Design" section explores the frontiers of furniture and material innovation: Willo Perron presents the "Sausage Sofa," a bold and versatile "playground" of cylindrical modules; Studio Niko Koronis illuminates us with "Light-Capturing Resin" in the BKT table, a "significant step" in resin research; Charlotte Kingsnorth takes us to a "Land Before Time" with a reinterpretation of the classic writing desk covered in hand-painted leather; and Finemateria presents "Load-Bearing Polyurethane" with the Please Hold Up chair, a solid and essential monomaterial seat.
The dialogue between art and space manifests in the "Art" section, where Do Ho Suh introduces us to his "Ghost Architectures" on display at the Tate Modern, works that stitch together rooms from buildings in Seoul, New York, London, and Berlin. The issue concludes with Christoph Niemann's "Oxymoron," reflecting on the "powerful simplicity" of the ordinary Lego brick. The cover, a collaboration with Nick and Steve Tidball of Vollebak, is a copper fabric woven with the laser-etched Domus logo—a Faraday cage that shields the editorial content from electromagnetic waves, a perfect fusion of aesthetics and function.
A counter-order by editorial director Walter Mariotti urges us to look beyond simplistic rankings, like Copenhagen being designated the "most livable city." Mariotti starts from Domus's recent installation in Copenhagen with guest editor Bjarke Ingels, and provocatively asks: "What about all the other cities?" This analysis dissects the parameters of The Economist's research, highlighting how stability—an increasingly precarious factor due to global geopolitical tensions—has become the true deciding factor.
Domus 1103 opens with the "Diary" section, exploring crucial themes of our time. Editorial Director Walter Mariotti introduces the 24th International Exhibition of Triennale Milano, "Inequalities," curated by Triennale President Stefano Boeri alongside 28 other internationally renowned curators (including Norman Foster and Hans Ulrich Obrist). The exhibition tackles growing economic, ethnic, geopolitical, and gender inequalities, with the aim of transforming them into "fertile differences."
The "Global Readings" section presents the "Five Overalls for the Art of Living" project, documenting an inclusion initiative with people serving sentences in Palermo, and "Journeys Through Time: Marco Zanuso's Yemen," a 1979 photographic report published by Humboldt Books celebrating ancient Sana'a. It also analyzes "The House of Dr. Koolhaas," the first title in Park Books' new "Gumshoe" series, which investigates Rem Koolhaas's Villa dall'Ava as a true architectural mystery.
Paul Smith, in "Common Places," reflects on the evocative power of mirrors in art and architecture, citing works like Anish Kapoor's "Sky Mirror." Valentina Petrucci, in "My City," explores the concept of the city as a place of relationships and the importance of sacred architecture according to Luigi Vari, Archbishop of Gaeta. Francesco Franchi, in "Graphics," analyzes Auge Design's innovative design for "Nazionale" liqueurs. Loredana Mascheroni, in "Research," introduces "The Last Pot" collection of cinerary urns by Il Tornitore Matto by Alessi.
The "Personality of the Month" is Dante O. Benini, an eclectic and prolific architect, a student of Carlo Scarpa and Oscar Niemeyer, who shares his design philosophy based on the idea of "exaggerating with heart, mind, and hands" to create emotional spaces. Simona Bordone, in "Domus Archive," traces the history of tourism on Elba Island, comparing the 162 beds in 1940 to the current 40,000, and raises the issue of overtourism.
Alberto Mingardi, in "In Praise of Luxury," analyzes the decline of violence in modern societies. Paola Carimati, in "Human Design," discusses the importance of slowing down, a key concept revisited by Byung-Chul Han, and introduces Andrea Botero's work on participatory design. Elena Sommariva, in "Children," celebrates the re-edition of Bruno Munari's nine books from 1945. In "Talents," Silvana Annicchiarico presents Mehari by Davide Biancucci for Campeggi. Antonio Armano, in "Companies," narrates the growth of PLH Italia by Enrico Corelli. Elena Sommariva, in "Minimalisms," dedicates space to Cini Boeri's bag, a 1970s project now produced by Prada in Re-Nylon.
Valeria Casali, in "Interiors," describes the spaces of Sauvage TV in Barcelona, a project by Vania Gaetti that combines exposed concrete and color accents. Roberto Battiston, in "Climate Intelligence," highlights the success of the Montreal Protocol. Marco Pierini, in "The Museum of Tomorrow," reflects on the intimate relationship between observer and artwork. Elena Sommariva, in "Office," presents Alis, the office furniture system by Park Associati for Fantoni. Stefano Mancuso, in "Homo Urbanus," emphasizes how cities are the main contributors to global warming. Valentina Sumini, in "Space Architecture," explores the use of extended reality (XR).
Finally, Javier Arpa Fernández, in "Urgent Territories," launches an appeal to save Malaga from overtourism. Walter Mariotti interviews Simone Giorgi, General Manager of the Park Hyatt Milan, who oversaw a 35-million euro renovation. Daniela Brogi, in "Fictions," analyzes the stylistic peculiarities of Wes Anderson's films, such as "The Phoenician Plot" (2025). A rich, interesting double issue, where current events, architecture, design, art, and economics all tell the story of our time. Happy summer reading!
From the first nomadic tents, made of stretched animal skins, to contemporary experimental structures, fabric and plastic have traced a curious arc in the history of architecture.
Every building material contains a political universe dictated by its physical capacities and supply chains. Steel was associated with entrepreneurialism, extractivism and colonisation; concrete became the material vehicle for the Roman Empire, Soviet quinquennial plans, and post-war state-driven economies of the welfare state; and glass came to represent the end of the ancien régime, the rise of democratic values and the freedoms of the open society. Plastics are synthetic materials made from organic polymer compounds. They are light, flexible and mouldable, and generally impervious, and can have many different degrees of transparency. Plastics comprise a family of materials with different properties that appeared barely a century ago and are still evolving. They are produced by massive, global petrochemical conglomerates and are often branded with trademarks. Plastics captured the popular imagination with a promise of progress and social and political freedom, but sometimes became an invisible scaffolding of stringent sociopolitical structures and the instrument of vast ecological transformations.
Natural fibres, or yarns and fibres that grow naturally, have long shaped the way we make, wear and build.
In 1986, after seven years as an assistant conservator in the Applied Arts Department at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, I collaborated with Rem Koolhaas for the first time. He viewed textiles and architecture as natural companions. He was most likely inspired by Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich (see Café Samt & Seide, Berlin, 1927), as well as by surrealism, absurdism, constructivism, conceptual art and Group Zero. These influences made him sensitive to contradictory effects, cinematographic scenarios and interactions between professionals with different disciplines and talents.
The evolution of clothing and textiles maps the arc of our progress as humans. From the skins of hunted animals to lab-grown spider silk and materials engineered at the atomic level. It’s important to see where we have come from to help map out where we may go.
From their studio in the woods near Madrid, they develop projects that stand out for their use of colour, the relationship between architecture and landscape, and an innovative use of materials, including acrylic and polycarbonate.
Two projects on very different scales – Quzhou Stadium and Ephemeral Bubble, a small addition to a farmhouse – explore how softness, tension and lightness can generate form and create new emotional connections between people and place
The large balconies of the 40 social housing units act as a climatic and social buffer, while external curtains provide an effective, low-cost strategy for controlling regulating the building’s solar heat gain.
Photo Luis Asín
With a heavy concrete base and a light recyclable steel and plastic lantern, the DH Ecoenergías thermal power plant is an industrial building with a symbolic and pedagogical vocation: to visibly communicate the energy transformation for which it was designed
Photo Gregori Civera
To create a sense of continuity, the ceiling, walls and floor of the Gimaguas flagship store in Barcelona were clad with Concrete Canvas hardened in situ
Photo Mathijs Labadie
Combining flat surfaces with soft curves and different thicknesses, the BKT table interacts with light by exploiting the natural translucency of resin
Land Before Time revisits the classic desk and chair, treating them as upholstered furniture, with a leather covering stitched like fabric
Photo Jeon Taeg Su
Rooms and partition walls stitched together from buildings in Seoul, New York, London and Berlin, on display at Tate Modern, form a single impossible fabric architecture
After lifelong deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that the creative process is very difficult. So difficult, in fact, that I’m afraid it will drive me insane. Nonetheless, I’m charging ahead unperturbed. Because making art is the only reliable strategy to make sense of this crazy world and therefore – ironically – helps me stay sane.
“Inequalities” is the leitmotif of our increasingly globalised world, from economics to ethnicity, geography and gender. Triennale Milano has inaugurated the 24th International Exhibition with a reflection on this most political, global and pressing theme, focusing on the human dimension to complete an unsual triology that began with issues of sustainability in “Broken Nature” in 2019, followed by the mysteries of the universe from outer space to the invisible scale of viruses in “Unknown Unknowns” in 2022.
From tableware to end-of-life objects. The second chapter in the work of Il Tornitore Matto by Alessi on the meaning of design makes a sharp change of tack, but the underlying theme remains the same: containing and caring. The brand, originating from Alberto Alessi’s desire to celebrate the turning lathe, the first operation used to create the family firm’s objects, and curated by Giulio Iacchetti, has focused this year on the “final container”, a type variant until now neglected by the design world.
Windows and eyes, suitcases and cages, dies and holes that open one after the other and unleash imagination, invention and discovery. The nine books conceived by Bruno Munari in 1945, now reissued by Corraini Edizioni, were revolutionary and continue to attract readers.