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780 leftover baguettes turn into public pavilion by MERO studios in montpellier

MERO Studios’ Paysage De Pain reflects on themes of food waste

Paysage de Pain is a public installation built from 780 salvaged baguettes, designed by MERO Studios in collaboration with the Montpellier-based nonprofit Pain de L’Espoir. Set in a sunlit courtyard in the Hôtel de Lunas during the 2025 Festival des Architectures Vives in Montpellier, the pavilion explores the potential of food waste, specifically surplus bread, as a spatial and sensory material.

In France, bread is essential to daily life, yet its abundance often leads to waste. According to a 2018 study by ADEME (the French Environment and Energy Management Agency), 11% of bread from bakeries is rejected for sale. Of this unsold bread, 15% is donated, 25% repurposed as animal feed, and 60% destroyed. Paysage de Pain transforms this symbol of waste into an immersive architectural experience. The installation explores gluttony not as excess, but as a lens for sustainable reinvention. 

all images by Paul Kozlowski

Public pavilion repurposes hundreds of leftover baguettes

The installation invites visitors to reflect on themes of gluttony and excess. The structure is a dialogue between indulgence and the urgency of environmental responsibility. Visitors are invited to move through dough-scented walls that cracked and aged in the summer heat, highlighting the tension between nourishment and discard. The project, developed by MERO Studios’ designers, foregrounds food waste as a cultural issue, transforming urban excess into a sensory, temporal monument. Here, gluttony becomes a celebration of transformation, an architectural delicacy that invites exploration and reflection on how we consume, discard, and create. In the spirit of the festival, Paysage de Pain is not only a feast for the senses but also a call to savor resources with care and ingenuity.

780 salvaged baguettes form the core structure of Paysage de Pain

a spatial installation exploring bread waste as architectural material

installed in the courtyard of Hôtel de Lunas for the 2025 Festival des Architectures Vives

Paysage de Pain responds to food waste through material reuse

bread walls crack and age under summer heat, revealing natural decay

bread becomes both material and message in this public installation

an ephemeral structure shaped by food, heat, scent, and time

bread waste is transformed into a tactile and temporal monument

the installation encourages reflection on how we consume and discard

Paysage de Pain reimagines gluttony as a site of transformation

project info:

name: Paysage De Pain
designer: MERO Studios | @mero_studios

lead designers: Megan Dang, Rose Zhang
location: Montpellier, France

photographer: Paul Kozlowski | @photoarchitecture.co

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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V&A announces new details on david bowie centre ahead of september opening in london

Artist’s Personal archive collections inside david bowie centre 

V&A East Storehouse announces new details on the David Bowie Centre ahead of its opening on September 13th 2025 in London, England. Set to be the permanent home of David Bowie’s personal archive with more than 90,000 items, the museum allows visitors to schedule a one-to-one with the items on display so they can view certain objects more closely and with a reduced crowd. The David Bowie Centre archive includes handwritten lyrics, drawings, costumes, photos, letters, musical instruments, set lists, and design sketches. Some of the late revered artist’s unrealized projects are on display too, from ideas for albums to films and tours that were never finished. 

Isolar II poster magazine, David Bowie, 1978, US. Museum no. S.1171:1 to 2-2010. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London | all images courtesy of V&A Museum

More than 90,000 items on display within V&A East Storehouse

At the David Bowie Centre, opening in September 2025 within the V&A East Storehouse museum, the archive collection also showcases the artist’s many artistic identities, such as Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane. Visitors can learn how he created these characters, how he used technology and science fiction, and how he designed his stage shows to be unique and theatrical in the permanent archival home.

Some of the highlights include David Bowie’s 1987 Glass Spider Tour as well as his 1987 concert at the Berlin Wall. The David Bowie Centre also features guest-curated displays, where artists who worked with him or were inspired by him choose memorabilia to show. One is by Nile Rodgers, a music producer who worked on David Bowie’s albums Let’s Dance and Black Tie White Noise.

photograph of David Bowie, Kevin Cummins, 1970s, Uk. Museum no: S.1326-2010. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Guest-curated displays with rare photos of studio sessions

For his guest curation, Nile Rodgers chooses items that show their friendship and musical teamwork, including the custom suit David Bowie wore on tour, photos of him recording music with Rodgers, some personal letters they exchanged, and several rare photos of studio sessions with backup singers, to name a few. Another display is by The Last Dinner Party, a modern British rock band, choosing objects from the 1970s that show David Bowie’s artistic energy, such as the handwritten lyrics from his Young Americans album and notes from his Station to Station tour.

The other archives are a manual for a special synthesizer Bowie used in his Berlin Trilogy albums as well as photos of the artist working in the studio. The David Bowie Centre, set to open on September 13th, 2025, was made possible by the David Bowie Estate, the Blavatnik Family Foundation, and Warner Music Group. It’s now part of the larger V&A Archive, which holds works from like Vivien Leigh, The House of Worth, and Glastonbury Festival.

Aladdin Sane album cover, Duffy and Philo, 1970, Uk. Museum no: E.583-1985. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Diamond Dogs, vinyl, produced by David Bowie, RCA Records, cover art by Guy Peellaert, 1974, England. Museum no. S.3354-2013. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

photograph of David Bowie, Terry O’Neill, 1974, England. Museum no. E.315-2011. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

project info:

name: David Bowie Centre 

museum: V&A East Storehouse | @vamuseum

opening date: September 2025

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OFIS architects renovates boathouse in slovenia with rooftop garden that filters lake water

OFIS Architects crowns timber structure with filtration garden

Along the western edge of Slovenia’s Lake Bled, OFIS Architects revitalizes Boathouse Zaka, a 25.5-square-meter timber-clad structure. While its humble exterior reflects the vernacular scale and materiality of alpine lakeside buildings, the project introduces an experimental rooftop filtration garden, turning the boathouse into both a scientific facility and an educational device. 

A series of wooden trays sits atop the pitched roof, filled with layers of stone, gravel, sand, and soil, and planted with native alpine flower species. Lake water is pumped through this substrate, slowly filtering as it irrigates the vegetation, mimicking natural water purification processes. The filtration beds on the roof are part of a scientific experiment and a didactic tool. In this way, the roof becomes a public-facing interface of ecological care, visibly performing the environmental purpose of the building. 

all images by Miran Kambic

boathouse zaka adopts a skin that breathes in slovenia

Ljubljana-based OFIS Architects focuses on revitalization through reuse, dismantling, and restoring the original timber frame and cladding. This restoration preserves the proportions and spatial rhythm of the existing structure while grounding it in local craft traditions. The original facade is reinstalled as a series of rotated and offset wooden planks, creating a skin that breathes. This semi-transparent cladding filters light, air, and views, allowing the structure to become ‘a filter rather than a wall,’ as the team notes.

Boathouse Zaka stores two research boats used for environmental monitoring of Lake Bled, whose crystal-clear and heavily visited waters require continuous observation. Material interventions, such as replacing cold cement tiles with natural wooden flooring, improve internal comfort for researchers and maintain the structure’s coherence with its timber envelope. 

As climate pressures and tourism intensify around Lake Bled, the project suggests that future-forward architecture may not require elaborate forms but regenerative gestures that restore, teach, and protect. 

OFIS Architects revitalizes Boathouse Zaka

a 25.5-square-meter timber-clad structure

a series of wooden trays sits atop the pitched roof

lake water is pumped through this substrate

located along the western edge of Slovenia’s Lake Bled

the original facade is reinstalled as a series of rotated and offset wooden planks

Boathouse Zaka stores two research boats used for environmental monitoring of Lake Bled

OFIS Architects focuses on revitalization through reuse

project info:

name: Boathouse Zaka

architect: OFIS Architects | @ofis_architects

location: Lake Bled, Slovenia

site area: 47 square meters

built area: 25.5 square meters

client: Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia

design team: Rok Oman, Špela Videčnik, Janez Martinčič, Rok Dolinšek, Amadej Mravlak, Vladyslav Bondarenko, Adrien Riviere

technical team: Mizarstvo Ovsenik d.o.o.

contractors: Mizarstvo Ovsenik d.o.o.

landscape technology: MT Cvek d.o.o.

photographer: Miran Kambic | @mirankambic

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my archischool’s education for young architects spans from hand sketch to AI render

RESHAPING WORKFLOWS FOR A NEW ERA IN ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION

As artificial intelligence tools increasingly reshape design workflows, My Archischool is pioneering how GenAI can empower —  rather than overshadow — young creative voices. The Hong Kong–based institution, dedicated to architectural education for students aged 6 to 17, has developed a new workflow that integrates GenAI with physical and digital model-making. Over eight months, more than 100 students have tested this educational process, which prioritizes their own hand-drawn sketches, paper constructions, and 3D models as the foundation for all AI-enhanced outputs. Rather than relying on generic prompts, the school’s approach uses GenAI to visualize complex, imaginative ideas that young designers often struggle to express through language alone.

all images created by Albus Chung | courtesy of My Archischool

MY ARCHISCHOOL EXPANDS EDUCATION WITH GENERATIVE AI

My Archischool’s pedagogy is not about replacing creativity with technology — it’s about helping students translate the ideas in their minds into spatial realities. Founded nine years ago, the school has consistently introduced innovative methods in architecture education for youth. Expanding beyond traditional studio teaching to incorporating game design, filmmaking, and AI-assisted tools, their core philosophy revolves around using students’ own hand sketches, physical models, and 3D digital models (SketchUp or Rhino3D) as the seed for GenAI. This ensures that the inherent vision of each young designer remains central to the generated output, allowing their imaginative concepts to be accurately visualized.

This educational method was rigorously tested through the Youth ArchiDesign Competition, where students were guided through a multi-step process, combining analog and digital thinking. Always focused on maintaining the individuality of each student’s concept, GenAI becomes a collaborative design partner, enabling richer storytelling and new forms of artistic expression, while retaining the authorship of the student at every step. Diving deeper into this unique workflow, one student’s exemplary work illustrates how this educational platform empowers young talents to visualize complex ideas with unprecedented clarity and joy.

trial run with GenAI

FROM HAND SKETCHES TO AI GENERATED REALITIES

The design journey at My Archischool starts with imagination visualized on and through paper. Students begin with hand-drawn sketches and craft paper models that express the first iteration of their ideas. These physical forms are photographed and used as seed images for GenAI tools, which then extrapolate possible design contexts, atmospheres, and material studies. As the models evolve, students continue refining their designs physically and digitally, transitioning into software like SketchUp or Rhino3D for more precise 3D modeling. These are once again paired with GenAI to generate rendered architectural scenes embedded in imagined cityscapes.

paper model crafted at first stage

Rather than replacing technical skills, this iterative process removes barriers to visual storytelling. Students gain insights into architectural detailing, context planning, and spatial composition — skills traditionally beyond their reach at such a young age. But My Archischool maintains a clear stance: quality output must reflect depth of thought. When students rely solely on prompt-based imagery, the originality often diminishes. Only when the GenAI output is rooted in student-generated material like photos, sketches, and models, does it truly reflect their authorship.

This approach also addresses challenges many young students face, especially in multilingual environments like Hong Kong, where verbal articulation of complex design ideas may be difficult. GenAI becomes a translator between concept and image, helping mentors better understand student intent.

Throughout the workflow, the school encourages traditional architectural principles: clarity in program definition, sensitivity to shared spaces, and resolution of design conflicts. Students are reminded that AI-generated visuals must still align with spatial logic, user needs, and design articulation. As a result, GenAI here is not just a tool for rendering but a catalyst for architectural thinking in the next generation.

reiterated paper model integrates context and spatial composition

project info: 

school: My Archischool | @myarchischool
location: Hong Kong

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atelier xi unveils public art center as a landscape of four travertine pavilions in china

AYDC Public Art Center opens in Guiyang

In Guiyang, China, Atelier Xi designs its AYDC Public Art Center to unfold as a series of sculptural pavilions embedded into the landscape. Completed in multiple phases since its 2022 groundbreaking, the project reimagines how architecture can animate culture-driven communities at the foot of Guizhou’s karst mountains.

Initially envisioned as a single building, the center evolved into a constellation of distinct yet interconnected spaces: the Xima Library, Ginkgo Chapel, and Dali Stage. This disaggregation allows the architects to integrate each volume into its own environmental niche, creating flexible platforms for reading, performance, and quiet contemplation.

images © Zhang Chao

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Atelier Xi’s Xima Library sits beside a reflective pool within the Art Center plaza, its travertine mass carved out with a luminous metallic dome within. On a still morning, the dome’s silhouette drifts across the water, darkening and brightening in concert with passing clouds. The library’s inner chamber, assembled from curved stainless-steel plates, softens daylight into a muted glow.

A short walk uphill leads to the Ginkgo Chapel. Here, the architects organize four massive stone volumes, inspired by ginkgo leaves, support a vaulted interior void. Visitors approach along a narrow canyon formed by the curved exteriors, then emerge into a chamber open to the sky. In spring, filtered sunlight dances through fresh leaves; in autumn, the canopy burns gold.

the AYDC Public Art Center in Guiyang is designed by Atelier Xi as a series of sculptural pavilions

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Facing the public square of the Art Center, Atelier Xi’s Dali Stage creates a sculptural threshold between architecture and performance. Its shell is shaped by the negative imprint of an invisible arch, as though space itself has been scooped away. At night, fiber optic lights embedded in the floor illuminate the stage in shifting constellations. During festivals, crowds gather under this canopy of stars, their movements reflected in the polished, mirror-finish steel.

Though each pavilion serves a different function, they share a unified language. The square travertine exteriors are subtly perforated, inviting wind and daylight to pass through. This porous quality lends the buildings a quiet permeability, reinforcing the sense that architecture here is less about enclosure and more about framing the experience of place.

the project transforms a single-building plan into three distinct spaces integrated with the landscape

Throughout the year, the surrounding landscape becomes an active participant in the composition. In summer, dense green foliage crowds the chapel’s thresholds. By late autumn, the ginkgo forest has turned a layered amber, mingling with the pale stone facades. Even in winter, when the trees are bare, the structures stand in dialogue with the sky and low-angled light.

The architects describe the project as an attempt to activate the site’s inherent vitality with minimal formal gestures. In practice, these sculptural interventions have created spaces where local artists and residents can gather informally, adding new layers of memory and association to the land.

More than a series of objects, the AYDC Public Art Center proposes architecture as a vessel for imagination and collective expression. Each pavilion extends the ethos of ‘Ayunduocang,’ whose name, derived from the Yi language of Guizhou, means ‘our land of dreams.’

Xima Library sits by a reflective pool is carved out with a luminous metallic dome

the Ginkgo Chapel is supported by four massive stone volumes

each pavilion combines porous travertine exteriors and stainless steel interiors that filter light and air

project info:

name: AYDC Public Art Center

architect: Atelier Xi | @atelier_xi

location: Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China

design team: Zhu Zhu, Huang Zhenfeng, He Xiansen, Zhang Manjia, Huang Fangbai, Zhan Kaichao
client: SEEKING GROUP
landscape design: So boring company, Zhao Xiong
photography: © Zhang Chao

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