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‘the world needs it’: michael kaethler on IED’s social ecological design for urgent change

REDEFINING DESIGN EDUCATION FOR URGENT CHANGE

The IED Master program in Social Ecological Design emerges as a vital alternative to design education, aiming to confront the complex challenges of our time. For Michael Kaethler, coordinator of the program, the traditional design curriculum, often shaped by market trends or conventional perspectives, does not contribute enough to the urgent transformation needed to address today’s crises. From accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss to widening social inequalities and the creeping rise of authoritarianism, the challenges are immense and interconnected. 

Despite its problem-solving prowess, academic design programs sometimes risk lacking the ability to adapt to new approaches required for socio-ecological change. This critical gap is what the Social Ecological Design program aims to fill as Michael Kaethler revealed in an exclusive interview with designboom. The program is built on the idea that education itself should ‘assist in unlearning the status quo,’ Michael Kaethler tells designboom, pushing for new forms of knowledge through emancipation, experimentation, and breaking down old structures.

‘We don’t need more education but rather, we need different education,’ Kaethler continues. ‘We need alternative modes of building and sharing knowledge in order to produce the forms of meaningful knowledge that can engage with these crises.’

the Social Ecological Design program emerges as a vital alternative to design education | all images courtesy of IED

IED MASTER PROGRAM IN SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL DESIGN

Within a 16-month period, the European Institute of Design (IED) in Torino offers a pioneering Master’s program in Social Ecological Design: Regenerative Practices for Everyday Life. As coordinator of the program, Michael Kaethler — a sociologist of design with a background in social anthropology and human rights research — leverages his expertise to root the curriculum in a profound understanding of societal change and human agency. The course positions itself as a critical response to the complex challenges of our time, offering a deep dive into fostering connections between humans, communities, and ecosystems. It’s designed to equip a new generation of designers with the tools to actively engage in meaningful social and ecological transformation.

‘We study transitions and how design can provide important levers for change. We explore the importance of creativity in opening up new forms of relations, new forms of understanding and communicating and ultimately how it can offer generative action towards meaningful social ecological transformation. It’s not just about knowledge—it’s about recovering a sense of agency,’ explains the program’s coordinator.

the course positions itself as a critical response to the complex challenges of our time

CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DESIGNERS

The program’s core philosophy centers on a radical re-evaluation of design’s role, seeking to restore fundamental capabilities for ideological and societal engagement. This approach challenges the comfortable notion of design as purely aesthetic or commercially driven, repositioning it as a critical tool for societal survival. ‘It feels absurd to be designing new chairs or lamps when our house is on fire,’ he states, emphasizing that the overlapping social, ecological, and economic crises are ‘real design problems!’ This sentiment is rooted in a historical critique. Kaethler notes that after the Cold War, design largely ‘favoured irony over ideological engagement, swapping grand social visions for playful contradictions.’ This shift, he argues, turned design into a mere service provider for the highest bidders.

The IED program directly counters this by bringing back generative critique – a design practice that doesn’t just analyze problems from the sidelines, but actively makes, intervenes, and creates tangible alternatives. ‘It is not simply a question of adding “criticality” to design but rather building up a culture of design that is essentially reflective in its engagement with the world and these reflections include questioning fundamental tenets such as values and orientations.’  

the new generation of designers get equipped with the agency to tackle urgent societal and environmental issues

To achieve this, the curriculum employs its unique ‘OUT THERE’ methodology, pulling students out of traditional classrooms and into immersive fieldwork across diverse Italian regions, including the off-grid Alps, Tuscany, and Sicily. This direct engagement with communities and ecosystems fosters a versatile skill set, spanning crucial areas like biomimicry, multispecies thinking, cross-cultural communication, cultural ethnography, creative activism, systems analysis, and inclusive design. Students work closely with local stakeholders, craftspeople, experts, and peers, applying principles of social and ecological design through analysis, interpretation, and practical application. The program’s structure guides them through three distinct phases: exploring ‘OUT-of-the-box’ ideas in the first trimester, immersing themselves ‘OUT in the field’ and ‘OUT of their comfort zone’ in the second, and finally challenging them to be ‘OUT on their own’ in the third trimester.

‘A big part of our vision is that learning is driven and directed by the student’s own ambitions and interests, which we nourish through one-on-one mentoring as well as regular moments of co-reflection and dialogue. We pair this with an intensive program of lectures, workshops and immersive fieldwork that pushes students to tackle difficult subjects and contexts beyond superficiality. Nothing inspires one to learn quicker than working in real life contexts,’ Kaethler emphasizes. ‘When design education becomes rooted in the real world, design becomes a fundamental human act of shaping one’s world to express one’s needs—tangible or intangible. This is where design can have a positive impact.’

the program emphasizes hands-on learning, pushing to bridge theoretical concepts with real-world application

Graduates are prepared for a professional landscape in constant flux, equipped with dynamism, transversal skills, and a confidence that matches competence. Beyond the intensive coursework, IED supports students with practical experiences like internships and leverages its extensive network of partnerships and alumni to ensure they are truly career-ready for diverse and impactful roles.

‘It sounds cliché but ambition and openness are more important than any specific experiences. Overall, we believe in balancing intellectual knowledge with practical knowledge and this means being willing to challenge oneself with theory in the morning and in the afternoon learning new maker-skills… and in the evening cooking dinner with members of the local community.’

collaborative workshops cultivate a versatile skill set

Looking ahead, Michael Kaethler envisions the program fostering a strong alumni community that continues to support collective engagement with critical social and ecological issues. His ambition extends beyond the IED, aiming to inspire a broader paradigm shift in design education globally. 

‘More broadly, I hope we inspire other design institutions to embrace an emancipatory, embedded, and autonomous approach to design education,’ Michael Kaethler concludes. ‘The world needs it.’

project info:

course: Social Ecological Design

organization: Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) | @ied_offical

program coordinator: Michael Kaethler

The post ‘the world needs it’: michael kaethler on IED’s social ecological design for urgent change appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

studio libeskind crowns art deco boerentoren tower with observatory overlooking antwerp

boerentoren tower to host Phoebus Foundation’s art collection

Studio Libeskind reveals its vision for the transformation of Antwerp’s iconic Boerentoren tower into a major new cultural destination. The project, created in collaboration with ELD, will convert the 1932 Belgian Art Deco skyscraper into a new home for The Phoebus Foundation’s celebrated art collection, while reactivating its civic potential as a public and panoramic space for the city.

The redesign centers around a reimagined sculptural crown that reinstates the tower’s striking silhouette on Antwerp’s skyline, within hosting viewing halls and an observation deck high above the city. It will offer sweeping views across the historic center, the River Scheldt, and the Flemish countryside beyond, with two glass elevators that will carry visitors to the top, making the ascent part of the experience.

image courtesy of Norviska

Studio Libeskind honors the art deco structure’s history

While the design looks upward, it also excavates the building’s historic layers. Architect Daniel Libeskind notes that ‘the building’s future must be shaped by its past,’ emphasizing that the new architecture is born directly from the existing structure’s geometries, materials, and proportions. The Boerentoren’s original triangular floor plan, steel skeleton, and Art Deco facade — which was later marked by Brutalist interventions in the 1970s — are embraced, and treated as active frameworks in the building’s next life. Working with this identity as one of Europe’s earliest skyscrapers, the design composes with it to create a sensitive, transformative, contemporary spatial narrative.

Studio Libeskind anchors the interior with a vast atrium carved into the heart of the tower. The soaring void is conceived as a civic gathering space for cultural events, exhibitions, and public encounters. Flowing through the building is also the Tower Living Room, a museum-like commons that will connect people to art, heritage, and each other, and adjacent to this public core, a sculpture garden will open to the city, framing views of Antwerp’s architectural landmarks and providing a tranquil civic terrace above street level.

Throughout, the architectural approach remains tightly aligned with Flemish heritage regulations. The original steel frame and exterior facades will be preserved, while the interior is adapted through a blend of restoration and spatial reinvention. The intervention is also part of a broader infrastructural initiative for the longevity of the building, as over €100 million has already been invested into preparatory works, including the complex removal of 4,000 tons of asbestos.

Studio Libeskind reveals its vision for Boerentoren tower’s transformation  | image courtesy of Norviska

the redesign centers around a reimagined sculptural crown | image courtesy of Norviska

within, it hosts viewing halls and an observation deck high above Antwerp | image courtesy of Norviska

sweeping views across the historic center, the River Scheldt, and the Flemish countryside | image courtesy of Studio Libeskind

two glass elevators will carry visitors to the top, making the ascent part of the experience | image courtesy of Studio Libeskind

Daniel Libeskind notes that ‘the building’s future must be shaped by its past’ | image courtesy of Studio Libeskind

project info:

name: Boerentoren tower

architect: Studio Libeskind | @daniellibeskind

location: Antwerp, Belgium

The post studio libeskind crowns art deco boerentoren tower with observatory overlooking antwerp appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

ESA’s umbrella-shaped biomass satellite captures first images of earth’s forests from space

Forest Images photographed by ESA’s Biomass satellite

The umbrella-shaped Biomass satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA) photographs the first aerial images of the Earth’s forests and topography. The spacecraft, which is being used to study forests from space, comes with equipment called P-band synthetic aperture radar, a tool that can see through the canopy of the trees and measure the woody parts of the forests, from the tree trunks to the branches and stems. The images are an important breakthrough for the space agency because these can allow scientists to understand and analyze how much carbon is stored in the forest, which is a key to monitoring climate change.

ESA revealed the images at the Living Planet Symposium on June 23rd, 2025, adding that the photos are ‘a major leap forward in our ability to understand how Earth’s forests are changing and exactly how they contribute to the global carbon cycle.’ At the present time, ESA’s Biomass satellite has just been launched and is gearing up for its full operation. The engineers are calibrating its systems and instruments, including the radar, so that the umbrella-shaped spacecraft can collect data accurately, send them to the team on Earth, and have them studied by the scientists. Currently, the data isn’t accurate enough yet to be used for full scientific studies.

all images courtesy of The European Space Agency (ESA)

Installed radar captures what’s under landscape surfaces

The first image captured by ESA’s Biomass satellite is the forest of Bolivia, which has experienced deforestation in the past to make room for farms and agriculture, ranking among the highest globally for primary forest loss. The photo has two parts: the one above with green landscapes is captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2, while the one below it is by Biomass. This one shows different colors: green for the rainforest, red for the wetlands, blue or purple for the grasslands, and black for the rivers and lakes. Here, the spacecraft image even displays the Beni River, still flowing naturally and meandering across the land. The first image also demonstrates the capability of ESA’s Biomass satellite, which can frequently scan the same area and use its radar to measure tree height and biomass.

The next image shows the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil. The pink and red in the southern part are the wetlands, the red along the rivers is the forested floodplains, and the green in the north is the forest. The ESA Biomass satellite here is able to capture the image and detect nature under dense vegetation, like wetland features, because radar waves penetrate the forest canopy. The other photos include the Halmahera rainforest in Indonesia, where the researchers can clearly see the active volcano Mount Gamkonora, as well as the rainforest in Gabon, Africa, where the Ivindo River and the dense forest cover stand out.

Biomass with its 12-m diameter radar antenna

The satellite can also photography deserts

The ESA’s Biomass satellite images also showcase the deserts, including the recently captured section of the Sahara Desert in Chad, with part of the Tibesti Mountains. The installed radar is able to penetrate dry sand up to five meters deep, allowing scientists to detect hidden features like ancient riverbeds and dried-up lakes buried under the desert surface. Then, there’s also an image of Antarctica, specifically a portion of the Transantarctic Mountains and the Nimrod Glacier, which flows into the Ross Ice Shelf.

Because of its long radar wavelength, Biomass can look deep into the ice, which other satellites with shorter wavelengths aren’t able to do at the present time. The P-band synthetic aperture radar helps the ESA’s Biomass satellite dive through the thick forest canopy to photograph and analyze the landforms under it. Unlike the other satellites, like the Copernicus Sentinel-2, this spacecraft uncovers the terrain and exposes the underlying landscapes. It is important for the scientists to understand the carbon storage of these forests as well as to help them learn how the climate in a specific region has changed over time. 

above: Bolivia captured by Copernicus Sentinel-2; below: the same area photography by Biomass

Biomass sees through the Amazon rainforest in northern Brazil

topography of Gabon in Africa with the Ivindo River (in black) appearing visible

project info:

name: Biomass satellite

agency: The European Space Agency | @europeanspaceagency

The post ESA’s umbrella-shaped biomass satellite captures first images of earth’s forests from space appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

jeff koons’ floral ‘split-rocker’ to bloom anew at LACMA’s upcoming los angeles building

jeff koons’s 37-foot-tall piece to bloom year-round in los angeles

Later in 2025, Jeff Koons’ Split-Rocker, an 11-meter-tall sculpture covered in over 50,000 living plants, is set to be permanently installed outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The towering artwork takes its playful shape from precise horticultural design and has been donated to the museum by longtime patrons Lynda and Stewart Resnick. It will become the focal point of a new outdoor public art program connected to LACMA’s forthcoming David Geffen Galleries, designed by Peter Zumthor, set to open in 2026 (find designboom’s previous coverage here).

Designed with an internal irrigation system and planted with drought-tolerant flowers suited to Southern California, the Split-Rocker changes appearance as the plants grow and bloom. Its form merges the head of a child’s rocking horse and the head of a dinosaur toy, joined into one oversized and slightly mismatched structure. The result is a surreal hybrid that appears both cartoonish and contemplative, qualities that often describe Koons’ work.

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker, 2000, edition of 1 plus 1 AP, © Jeff Koons, Versailles installation photo by Laurent Lecat | via Unframed Lacma

lacma to debut zumthor-designed David Geffen Galleries

Positioned at the threshold of the reimagined campus of LACMA, the American artist’s sculpture signals the transformation taking place within and around the new building. As the summer of 2025 unfolds, LACMA begins activating the plaza level of its new building north of Wilshire Boulevard, giving the public its first look at Peter Zumthor’s long-awaited David Geffen Galleries. The shaded ground-level spaces beneath the elevated structure are designed to host a variety of public programs and serve as an extension of the museum’s civic presence, hosting outdoor education, events, and performances. New facilities also include the East West Bank Commons, a covered area for gatherings of up to 500 people, the W.M. Keck Education Center for learning and community engagement, and the state-of-the-art Steve Tisch Theater, which will screen films and exhibit time-based media during museum hours. 

At the same time, LACMA is expanding its outdoor art footprint across 3.5 acres of newly designed public space. Koons’ monumental Split-Rocker will be among the first major works to activate the reimagined grounds, setting the tone for the evolving outdoor collection of the institution. The entire plaza on the north side of Wilshire is set to become a site-specific installation by Mariana Castillo Deball, while a monumental textile work by Los Angeles–based artist Sarah Rosalena will occupy one of the new interior spaces of the museum. Additional sculptures and interventions by Liz Glynn, Thomas Houseago, Shio Kusaka, Pedro Reyes, and Diana Thater will gradually populate the campus. Several iconic works from LACMA’s collection will return, including Tony Smith’s Smoke, Alexander Calder’s Three Quintains (Hello Girls), and the Rodin collection, which will be housed in the redesigned Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Garden. Previews of the building begin in June 2025, followed by a phased art installation leading up to the museum’s full reopening in April 2026.

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker, 2000, edition of 1 plus 1 AP, © Jeff Koons, Versailles installation photo by Laurent Lecat | via Unframed Lacma

Split-Rocker finds a new home

This particular version of Split-Rocker is the artist’s proof from an edition of one, and its arrival continues LACMA’s long-standing collaboration with Koons. The artist’s stainless steel works, including Rabbit, Balloon Dog (Blue), and Cracked Egg (Red), have been shown at the museum in past exhibitions. In 2008, a miniature version of Cracked Egg was even used as the official invitation to the museum’s BCAM opening gala.

‘Jeff is a master of bringing bold playfulness together with layers of deeper artistic meaning,’ shares Michael Govan, LACMA’s CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. ‘We are thrilled to welcome this living sculpture to LACMA, where it will greet visitors, pedestrians, and traffic along Wilshire Boulevard.’ The museum expects the work to be a year-round presence, a rare condition for one of Koons’s monumental floral sculptures, which are often temporary due to climate restrictions.

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker (2000) installed at Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2014, © Jeff Koons, photo by Tom Powel

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker (2000) installed at Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2014, © Jeff Koons, photo by Tom Powel

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker (2000) installed at Rockefeller Center, NYC, 2014, © Jeff Koons, photo by Tom Powel

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker, 2000, Palais Des Papes, Avignon, France | image courtesy the artist

image by Mattias Mangold, courtesy Fondation Beyeler, Basel

Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker, 2000, edition of 1 plus 1 AP, © Jeff Koons, Versailles installation photo by Laurent Lecat | image courtesy of the artist

LACMA building, including David Geffen Galleries | image © Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner/the Boundary

Zumthor’s design unifies LACMA’s campus | image © Atelier Peter Zumthor & Partner/the Boundary

project info:

name: Split-Rocker

artist: Jeff Koons | @jeffkoons

location: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles, California | @lacma

architect (LACMA’s Geffen Galleries): Peter Zumthor 

The post jeff koons’ floral ‘split-rocker’ to bloom anew at LACMA’s upcoming los angeles building appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

made of compacted dirt and seeds, basura’s shoes plant wildflowers as they break down

dirt shoes let nature reclaim your footsteps

Dirt Shoes, created by conceptual design practice Basura in collaboration with yerba mate brand Yerba Madre, were never meant to last. The shoes are made entirely from compacted dirt, tree sap, plant fibers, and wildflower seeds. As they’re worn, they slowly disintegrate, breaking down underfoot and scattering seeds into the soil, allowing native wildflowers to grow in the footsteps of the wearer. It’s a project that shifts the focus from how products are made to how they eventually leave the world and what they might leave behind.

images courtesy of Basura and Yerba Madre

Basura and Yerba Madre create footwear crafted from earth

The shoes are entirely biodegradable by design, and while their impracticality might seem counterintuitive at first, it is in fact central to the New York-based practice’s concept. Rather than aligning with the disposable mindset of fast fashion or the fixation on durability found in performance wear, Dirt Shoes proposes a value rooted in the principles of circularity, slow decay, and quiet ecological renewal. ‘Dirt Shoes are a statement of regeneration, circularity, and commitment to give more back to the planet than we take,’ explains Emily Kortlang, Chief Marketing Officer of Yerba Madre. The project seems to ask, what would it look like if the things we make were designed not to persist but to disappear with purpose?

The shoes were developed over the course of five months, during which Basura brought together a team of material scientists, artists, and sculptors to make a pair of shoes from dirt that is strong enough to walk in but fragile enough to fall apart. ‘A key challenge was engineering a shoe made of dirt that could support the weight of a person while still being flexible enough to walk in,’ says Rajeev Basu, the founder of Basura and the project’s lead artist. The final design comes in two universal sizes and strikes a balance between durability and decay.

Once worn, the shoes begin a process of slow erosion. Cracks form, pieces crumble, and eventually all that remains is a small pile of dirt and scattered seeds. The shoes are designed to physically break down and return to the ground, planting something new rather than leaving trash behind.

Dirt Shoes are designed by Basura for Yerba Madre

the pair is made from compacted dirt, tree sap, plant fibers, and wildflower seeds

as the shoes are worn, they slowly disintegrate 

it’s a project that shifts the focus from how products are made to how they eventually leave the world

allowing native wildflowers to grow in the footsteps of the wearer

Dirt Shoes proposes a value rooted in the principles of circularity

a pair of shoes from dirt that is strong enough to walk in but fragile enough to fall apart

project info:

name: Dirt Shoes (find more here)

designer: Basura | @basuranewyork

commissioned by: Yerba Madre | @yerbamadre

sizes: Universal S and L

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