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‘a space, not a face’: ZELT studio’s curved textile canopy ripples above dekmantel stage

studio ZELT installs textile canopy over Dekmantel stage

As Dekmantel Festival opens its 2025 edition in Amsterdamse Bos, the Netherlands, CURTAIN 01, an architectural installation by Dutch designer Johannes Offerhaus, introduces a constructed addition to the forest landscape. Designed under his practice ZELT Studio, the structure takes the form of a suspended textile canopy that stretches above the DJ booths at Selectors Stage, a longtime favorite among festivalgoers. Inspired by couture construction and spatial design, its function is to offer rain protection for DJs performing over the three-day event. Still, the project creates a distinct spatial atmosphere that mediates between the natural setting, the crowd, and the sonic intensity of live performance. ‘The initial idea was to suspend it between two trees,’ the designer tells us. ‘As the design and forces grew, this became impossible. Now there are four steel poles hidden between the trees that keep the whole installation suspended. This allows me to keep the rest of the details very lightweight and simple.‘

Suspended between the trees and held aloft by a complex system of ropes, aluminum, and steel, the tensile structure transforms the clearing into what light designer Zalán Szakács describes as ‘some kind of intergalactic sailing ship.’ Its curved, white textile surfaces ripple in the breeze and catch dappled light through the trees. ‘I always aim to make my installations visually interesting from all sides, even backstage,’ Johannes Offerhaus expresses. ‘In contrast to more traditional festival scenography, it doesn’t just look good facing forward — and from the back you’re not just looking at zip ties and stapled fabric. I aim to make sure the stage doesn’t just have a face, but that it is a space.’

images courtesy of ZELT Studio

a series of repeating, curved forms shapes CURTAIN 01

CURTAIN 01 is constructed entirely by hand from white textile through a meditative process of draping and sewing, drawing from Offerhaus’ early training in fashion. ‘Just like in a draping process where form-finding is done through the process of draping textile around a human body,’ he says, ‘I start modelling and prototyping with textiles. Only my canvas is not the human body anymore, it’s space.’

Designed specifically for the Selectors Stage of the festival, an intimate clearing surrounded by willow trees, the form takes cues from the natural setting. ‘It’s a very intimate stage with a lot of nice hazy sunlight moments,’ the designer and leader of the team at ZELT Studio notes. ‘The stage has a very clear identity that I could easily mess with too much.’

ZELT Studio’s canopy is suspended from steel anchors and held in place through a system of ropes and aluminum rods, allowing it to float above the heavy concrete stage element. The fabric is shaped into a series of repeating, curved forms, producing a rippling overhead surface that catches light and wind. Using a single color and consistent geometry lends the structure a calm visual presence, contrasting with the surrounding motion and sound. ‘While playing with the characteristics of curtains, this design evolved to three circular-shaped curtains hanging from the same points that are pushed into three different planes by aluminum tubing. These form the base for the last circle—the rainproof roof of the stage,’ he continues. The rhythmic repetition of the fabric’s curves and seams creates a sense of spatial order. ‘It brings order and makes your eye understand what’s happening,’ Offerhaus observes.

CURTAIN 01 is an architectural installation by ZELT Studio

lighting design references sci-fi films and iconic music shows

The project emerges from Offerhaus’ intention to scale up his textile work. ‘In the last 3 years, having worked on textile designs at small scale — attached to the body — I really felt the need to scale up,’ he explains. ‘I wanted my work to be very big — to offer a space for more than just one person.’ That opportunity came through a collaboration with Dekmantel’s Creative Director, Albert van Abbe, who invited him to reimagine the scenography of the Selectors Stage. While van Abbe envisioned a prefab concrete DJ booth as a stable core for vinyl sets, Offerhaus came up with a lightweight, expressive textile canopy that hovers above. ‘The heavy concrete — a perfect anchor point — naturally invited in a lightweight (visually and literally) textile tensile piece,’ he adds.

Alongside CURTAIN 01, Szakács’ lighting design brings a cinematic tone to the space, referencing 1970s sci-fi film sets and iconic rock shows such as Pink Floyd’s Pompeii performance through warm whites, amber, and soft blues that mix with the white fabric above.

suspended between the trees and held aloft by a complex system of ropes, aluminum, and steel

Johannes Offerhaus calls his creations ‘tent designs’

Every component of the structure is crafted in Offerhaus’ Amsterdam Noord studio using industrial sail-making machines. ‘We machine sew everything… it gives us a really good understanding of the materials and its limitations,’ he highlights. ‘The design is very clear until you get all the fabric cut and have to assemble it. You quite easily get lost in between the heaps of fabric behind the sewing machine.’ He and his team follow a highly structured process to ensure precision, knowing they only have days before the festival opens to confirm whether the assembly works.

Offerhaus prefers to let the work speak for itself once it’s in place. ‘I don’t have to inform the spectator how to interpret the work and I don’t have to present it to them. I can dissolve in the crowd,’ Johannes Offerhaus points out. ‘Obviously the moment the festival starts, my work merges together with that of others – light designers, sound engineers, DJs, performers – and so I become the spectator as well.’

This project follows earlier installations such as GATEWAY at Down The Rabbit Hole festival and KOLOM 01, all part of Offerhaus’ evolving interest in spatial textiles – what he calls his ‘tent designs.’ ‘By calling my installations ”tents” I am forcing myself to slowly find a purpose and function for them,’ he comments. ‘Ultimately, it is a gateway for the terrain.’  

white textile surfaces ripple in the breeze

CURTAIN 01 is constructed entirely by hand

its function is to offer rain protection for DJs performing over the three-day event

ZELT Studio’s canopy is held in place through this system of ropes and aluminum rods

suspended from steel anchors

the fabric is shaped into a series of repeating, curved forms

the project emerges from Offerhaus’ intention to scale up his textile work

the form takes cues from the setting’s natural rhythms

project info:

name: Tensile Canopy for Dekmantel 2025

architect: ZELT Studio 

location: Amsterdamse Bos, Amsterdam, Netherlands

lead architect: Johannes Offerhaus | @johannesofferhaus

commissioned by: Dekmantel Festival | @dkmntl

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circular ground floor supports shed-roofed volume in NEMESTUDIO’s colorado dwelling

Geometric Duality defines residence by NEMESTUDIO in colorado

CS2 House by NEMESTUDIO in Denver, Colorado, offers a study in how architectural form can shape everyday use without relying on high-end materials or complex systems. Located on a modest plot and built within a limited budget, the single-family home consists of two geometrically distinct parts. A circular base houses the main living areas, and a shed-roofed upper volume accommodates the bedrooms. Instead of blending into a unified form, the two parts remain clearly differentiated, introducing a purposeful disconnect that defines the facade and interior spaces of the building.

all images by César Béjar

CS2 House is designed to change together with its residents

San Francisco-based NEMESTUDIO conceives the ground floor of CS2 House as a single open space organized around a central column and enclosing wall. It contains a kitchen, a bathroom, and a double-height living area but avoids fixed zoning. Over time, this space has served a variety of roles, including home office, child-friendly playroom, art studio, gathering place, and temporary bedroom. Its circular geometry allows this flexibility, with no corners to anchor furniture or prescribe specific arrangements. The upper floor, more conventional in layout, holds two enclosed rooms and a shared bathroom, while the basement adds storage and a small guest room.

The deliberate misalignment between the base and upper volume of the residence creates overhangs, shaded edges, and a small terrace above, resulting in a variety of outdoor spaces that shift around the house. These in-between zones are not formally landscaped or programmed, but they emerge from the geometry itself and are used as spaces for sitting, walking, or observing, depending on use and season.

While CS2 House operates within the constraints of affordability, its design does not treat those constraints as purely restrictive. Instead, the project explores how low-cost construction can accommodate evolving patterns of living. 

NEMESTUDIO completes CS2 House in Denver, Colorado

offers a study in how architectural form can shape everyday use

the single-family home consists of two geometrically distinct parts

the circular base houses the main living areas

a shed-roofed upper volume accommodates the bedrooms

over time, this space has served a variety of roles

no corners to anchor furniture or prescribe specific arrangements

pops of yellow and minty green add color to the all-white interior

the upper floor holds two enclosed rooms and a shared bathroom

project info:

name: CS2 House

architect: NEMESTUDIO | @nemestudio

location: Denver, Colorado, USA

area: 170 square meters (1,850 square feet)

project team: Neyran Turan, Mete Sonmez, principals in charge; Alicia Moreira, Douglas Lee, Charlotte Chan

photographer: César Béjar | @cesarbejarstudio

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myco-type creates mycelium blocks and sheets with sawdust, coffee grounds and local waste

Myco-type’s mycelium blocks and sheets from waste

Myco-Type produces mycelium blocks, sheets, and paste using sawdust, coffee grounds, and local agricultural and municipal waste. These biodegradable architectural and design materials come from recycled and local resources, mixed with mycelium to grow organic, multipurpose objects that can be used for different projects. The process starts with collecting waste materials, including sawdust from woodshops and coffee grounds from local cafés, which are used as feedstock. The next step is mold preparation, where the tools and containers are sterilized to prevent contamination by other microorganisms. It is here where the mycelium is added.

It can come from spores, grow kits, spawn, or liquid culture, and it is mixed into the feedstock inside the mold. A thin cover keeps it moist and clean, allowing the growing phase to start next. The mold is kept in a space with the right temperature, humidity, and air, so the mycelium can grow through the feedstock and around it, forming a solid shape. This stage takes a few days to a few weeks. After the mycelium has grown enough, it is removed from the mold, and then it is dehydrated using heat or sunlight. This ends the life of the fungi and makes the material stable. At this point, it can be cut, sanded, joined, or shaped, producing Myco-type’s mycelium blocks and sheets.

all images courtesy of Myco-Type

mushroom-based paste with wheat bran to create biomaterials

Myco-Type – a project by researchers Arvind Bhallamudi, Vaishnavi Mehta, and Calgary Haines-Trautman – explores how mycelium, or the root-like structure of fungi, can turn local waste into usable materials, such as blocks and sheets. The former is made from sawdust, water, and mycelium, which is light and can be cut, drilled, and glued. The latter uses coffee grounds instead of sawdust and makes thin, flat panels. These can be shaped using laser cutters and saws. There’s a third one in paste form. It is still being developed, but so far, the team says it can be shaped by hand, in molds, or by 3D bioprinting, and it also uses sawdust, wheat bran, and mycelium culture.

The team adds that these materials capture more carbon than they release. Each block stores about 200 grams of CO₂, making the materials carbon-negative. They break down in the soil in six to eight weeks and in water in about 12 weeks, and can be composted in the end. The team uses equipment from mushroom farming – such as mono-tubs, grow tents, and inoculation chambers – in the production. The materials are not alive when used, but only during the growth phase. Heat at the end of the process kills the fungi, but it is also possible to make live mycelium products (these need attentive care so they can stay alive). At the moment, these materials are experimental, and the team says that some tools like wire-cutting and CNC machines are hard to use on them. But the process allows tuning, and by changing inputs and growth conditions, they can achieve different properties and results.

a burst of mycelium growth at the surface after removing a block of substrate from its mold 

surface enhancements including walnut paste, wheat paste and beeswax

detailed view of the biomaterial

Myco-Type’s mycelium blocks show the gradual decomposition process over four weeks

view of the compressed, dense mycelium sheets

a night lamp with a mycelium shade integrated with a 3D printed base and motion detection system

stool and modular furniture grown on cardboard molds for the waste and fungi

project info:

name: Myco-Type

researchers: Arvind Bhallamudi, Vaishnavi Mehta, and Calgary Haines-Trautman

faculty: Haley MacKeil

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: matthew burgos | designboom

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faraday future’s FX super one van emotes and displays feelings using LED display at the front

FX super one van has large screen at the front

Faraday Future unveils FX Super one, a van that has an emotive face and can display feelings using the large LED display at the front grille. Named the F.A.C.E. System (Facial AI Customized Expression), the communication tool replaces the normal front of the vehicle with a screen that can project animated expressions or texts, including greetings, messages, and brand visuals. It only operates when the FX Super One van is parked, and the display is controlled by the EAI system, the in-house-developed artificial intelligence system by Faraday Future.

If the AI detects a new passenger or a change in mode, the grille can show a suitable image, such as displaying Hello or Charging when the electric or hybrid automobile is plugged in. It can also show mood-based animations, and it creates a new method for vehicles to interact with people outside, like bystanders or other drivers. At the center of the system is the EAI (Embodied AI) Agent, which runs models that link vision, language, and action. The AI listens, sees, and responds, and users can speak, make gestures, or interact with it. The system can predict user needs and respond, including climate changes, seat adjustments, or information requests.

all images courtesy of Faraday Future

Faraday future includes massage seats in the cabin

Inside the van, the FX Super One features suspended seats for all versions, or zero-gravity captain’s seats. Each seat can provide a ten-point massage, heating, and ventilation because the company’s goal is to reduce pressure on the body and allow for long periods of sitting. The interior is available in three main seating versions. These include a four-seat version called the GOAT Edition, a six-seat version, and a seven-seat version (these layouts are used for VIP setups, family transport, or business travel). Faraday Future says that the seats in the second and third rows can slide. They can also fold flat to increase cargo or rest space, and with this setup, up to six golf bags can fit, or it can be converted into a space for a queen-size bed. The cabin includes tray tables, an internal refrigerator, and lighting. 

For the entertainment system, there’s a 17.3-inch screen, surround sound, integrated apps, and 5G support inside the van. Users can control it with voice or hand gestures, and some of the apps included are video streaming, work tools, or calls. The system can also connect to mobile networks using 5G for high-speed data. FX Super One includes full safety coverage. Its body frame uses over 80 percent high-strength steel. There are side curtain airbags as well as lidar, radar, ultrasonic sensors, and high-definition cameras around the vehicle. Specs-wise, the van comes in two powertrain types. The first is a dual-motor electric all-wheel drive, while the second is a hybrid system called AI Hybrid Extended Range (AIHER). Faraday Future has opened the pre-order pool for the FX Super One van.

Faraday Future unveils FX Super one, a van that has an emotive face

the FX Super One van can display feelings using the large LED display at the front grille

rear view of the vehicle

the screen can only operate when the vehicle is parked

if the AI detects a new passenger or a change in mode, the grille can show a suitable image

view of the interiors

the vehicle features suspended seats with massage capabilities

project info:

name: FX Super One

company: Faraday Future | @faradayfuture

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coffee beans cover sunken seating area in single origin chiangmai roastery by flat12x

Single Origin Store Chiangmai adapts house into micro roastery

Located in the San Phisuea district of Chiang Mai, Thailand, Single Origin Store Chiangmai is an adaptive reuse project designed by FLAT12x. The scheme converts an existing residential building into a functioning micro roastery for the coffee brand, expanding upon design principles first established in its flagship location near Chiang Mai’s Phae Gate.

The project emphasizes locality and material authenticity, integrating the structure with its natural context. The architectural form is kept low and linear, with deep roof overhangs that provide shade and protection from seasonal rain. A combination of large openings and passive design strategies enables cross-ventilation and visual continuity with the surrounding garden. The roof’s pitch and orientation are designed to minimize solar gain while allowing consistent natural illumination. Locally sourced materials are used throughout the project to reduce environmental impact and reinforce connections to regional craft traditions. Neutral finishes, ceramic tile textures, and tactile surface treatments define the café’s interior palette.

all images by BKKgrapher

FLAT12x constructs custom coffee bar from local hardwood

Inside, a custom-built coffee bar constructed from local hardwood anchors the main space. A stepped-down floorplate introduces a sunken seating area, where coffee beans are used as ground cover beneath the stairs, creating both a sensory and visual reference to the store’s function. The architects at FLAT12x arrange this configuration to enhance spatial layering, promoting fluid movement between different zones for communal and individual activities. Seating is arranged to support various modes of use, including informal reading, tasting sessions, and small group interaction. Natural and artificial lighting is calibrated to shift the ambiance throughout the day, drawing attention to the material finishes and creating a responsive interior atmosphere. The design of Single Origin Store Chiangmai creates a space that supports the brand’s focus on origin, process, and craft through its architectural language.

Single Origin Store Chiangmai is located in the residential San Phisuea district of Chiang Mai, Thailand

the café adapts a former house into a functioning micro roastery for the coffee brand

FLAT12x leads the architectural design, emphasizing reuse and local context

deep roof overhangs offer protection from sunlight and seasonal rainfall

the building is oriented to minimize solar heat gain while maintaining natural light

coffee beans cover the floor beneath the stairs, referencing the store’s roastery function

ceramic tiles and tactile finishes create a neutral and textured interior palette

large openings promote cross-ventilation and connect the interior with the garden

a custom coffee bar made from local hardwood serves as the interior focal point

natural and artificial lighting highlight the material qualities of the space

Single Origin Store offers a calm and grounded environment rooted in local design values

project info:

name: Single Origin Store Chiangmai
architect: FLAT12x | @flat12x_

location: San Phisuea, Chiang Mai, Thailand

photographer: BKKgrapher | @bkkgrapher

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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atelier wen’arch designs light-filled bookstore to float over hangzhou’s wetlands

a luminous bookstore opens in china

The Xixi Goldmye Bookstore by Atelier Wen’Arch is located in the Xixi Wetlands of Hangzhou, China. The project transforms a 20-year-old U-shaped office building, originally closed-off and elevated above a water courtyard, into a layered and open space for reading and gathering.

Originally marked by a disordered structure and a disconnected relationship with its wetland surroundings, the building’s framework has been pared down to its bare concrete columns. Through a series of deliberate architectural interventions — introducing new structural systems, timber frameworks, and water-facing spaces — the project recasts the site into a sequence of spatial experiences celebrates the landscape.

images © Chen Hao

atelier wen’arch reframes a closed-off structure

Led by architect Shen Wen, the team at Atelier Wen’Arch begins the project with a disintegration of the bookstore’s existing roof and wall system. A suspended ceiling accommodates mechanical equipment, while a colonnade inserted along the west facade reorients the symmetrical composition into a more horizontal, flowing volume. A new pedestrian path of staggered concrete strips reclaims the vehicular driveway, creating a more nuanced and variable entrance sequence.

In alignment with the original structural grid, the architects introduced a double-beam timber system. These laminated pine beams intersect the concrete columns and extend outward in measured cantilevers, defining a rhythm of horizontal spaces. Between each timber pair runs lighting and air-conditioning return channels, integrating infrastructure into the structure’s material logic.

the bookstore is elevated to float gently over Hangzhou’s Xixi Wetland

Book Tower and Waterside Pavilion

Two spatial interventions by Atelier Wen’Arch create vertical connections between bookstore’s architecture and the surrounding nature. A Book Tower anchors the southwest corner, rising with stacked mezzanines that wrap in nested rings. The structure uses a concealed grid of steel I-beams flush with the timber floor to maintain visual and tactile coherence. At its top, the tower draws in light and views, while the interplay of human silhouettes and horizontal lines animates the space.

The southern pavilion, once a faceted glass volume, has been reshaped into a sunken waterside room with a sloped roof. A portion of the original floor was removed, allowing the pavilion to settle closer to the water’s edge. Zinc panels clad the roof, and a silver-painted ceiling reflects ambient light. Recessed seating opens the space toward the wetland, drawing nature into the interior through quiet shifts in material and level.

Atelier Wen’Arch reframes a U-shaped office into a light-filled cultural space

Filtering Light with Secondary Eaves

Drawing from Song Dynasty precedents, Atelier Wen’Arch designed suspended secondary eaves that reinterpret historical sun-shading elements. These eaves are hung from the timber beams by upward tension rods, with downward braces at the center. They serve dual functions: reflecting soft light into the reading rooms and narrowing visual perspectives to maintain intimacy and focus on the wetland.

The eaves, folding windows, and benches between columns build a field of architectural in-betweens, which is neither fully indoors nor entirely outside, mediating between the constructed and natural environments.

the original framework is pared down to columns and reorganized with timber beams

floating ‘book beams’

Six sets of structural bookshelves, or ‘book-beams,’ stretch up to six meters between columns. Developed with structural engineer Zhang Zhun, the shelves consist of horizontal glued-laminated timber interlaced with vertical stainless steel plates, forming torsion-resistant I-beams. Suspended by rods and anchored to the columns, they serve both as shelving and as lightweight spatial dividers.

These floating book-beams interweave with the primary timber system, building a subtle framework that merges structural clarity with spatial openness. Views extend through the shelves, framing books against a backdrop of water, vegetation, and light.

‘book beams’ span between columns and are backdropped by the scenic landscape

a book tower rises at the corner with staggered mezzanines and filtered daylight

architecture and nature interlace to create a public bookstore for daily urban life

project info:

name: Xixi Goldmye Bookstore

architect: Atelier Wen’Arch 

location: North Gate of Xixi National Wetland Park, Hangzhou, China

built area: 880 square meters

completion: April 2025

photography: © Chen Hao | @chenhao.etsam

lead architect: Shen Wen | @swing_shen
design team: Shen Wen, Wang Weishi, Yi Shihao (on-site), Sun Huizhong
structural consultant: Zhang Zhun (AND Office)
lighting design: DLX Lighting Design
MEP, structural design: Shanghai Zunbang Architectural Design

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