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banksy returns with a sentimental lighthouse mural in an ‘unknown’ location

Banksy’s comeback is a lighthouse mural 

Banksy has broken his silence after posting a new sentimental lighthouse mural on May 20th, 2025, on his Instagram. The image shows a street bollard in an unknown location. Adjacent to it, there’s a shadow that runs through the floor, a gray-seeming paint, before it rises into a towering lighthouse. Sprayed white lines come out of Banksy’s lighthouse mural, depicting the rovering beam within the tower. In the middle of the tower, these are the words written in all capital letters: I want to be what you saw in me. The Banksy lighthouse mural is modest compared to what he has done in the past. It’s also clear that it shies away from his usual socio-political commentary.

all images courtesy of Banksy

Unknown location may be in marseille

Users on Instagram have expressed their thoughts on the recent artwork by the artist. Some of them attempt to guess where the location of Banksy’s lighthouse mural is. A few users believe the artwork is in Le Panier, Marseille, France, just by looking at the surroundings and the second image with a couple walking their dogs. Others notice how sentimental the artwork is, while some put their own spin on what the lighthouse mural and its message mean. 

This is the first time Banksy has posted again. The last time he did was in December 2024, with the mural of Nursing Madonna. Before then, he had also shared a mural, which he had created right on the walls of the London Zoo. Here, a gorilla lifts a veil and frees the animals locked in the zoo. It’s an attempt to comment on how these dubbed wildlife parks aren’t giving the animals the degrees of freedom they should have.  

view of the Banksy lighthouse mural

the artist’s Nursing Madonna mural posted in December 2024

the artist’s mural on the walls of the London zoo | read more here

project info:

artist: Banksy | @banksy

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roc h biel turns beech dust into chairs and modular desks inspired by corinthian columns

deconstructing classical architecture for dust order

Dust Order is a sculptural furniture collection by Roc H Biel that reimagines the elegance of Corinthian columns through a modernist lens, transforming classical proportions into flowing, lightweight forms. Crafted from upcycled, compacted beech wood dust — a waste byproduct usually swept off workshop floors — and 3D-printed composites, the sculptural chair and modular desk system explore material contradiction, architectural rhythm, and surreal aesthetics.

Shot on a Welsh slate quarry, the highest in the UK, the project captures a striking contrast between industrial waste and soft, dreamlike forms, offering a poetic reflection on legacy, adaptability, and the blurred lines between physical and digital reality. The work was recently presented at Salone Satellite 2025 during Milan Design Week, with each object telling a story of perception, contradiction, and new material possibilities.

all images courtesy of Roc H Biel

roc h biel upcycles beech wood dust for the furniture series

Roc H Biel’s collection deconstructs the capital, shaft, and entablature elements of the classical architecture to highlight a sense of movement and visual lightness, while maintaining a reverent connection to historical form. The chair is made by compacting and stacking beech wood dust into a monolithic, sculptural form. At first glance, its surface appears stone-like or sand-cast, tricking the eye with its granular texture. But what looks dense and weighty is surprisingly light and circular in origin. Geometry shifts subtly from base to top, octagon to circle to square, while strategic negative space lets light pour through, creating a visual rhythm that gives the piece a sense of gentle drift. The result is a quiet optical illusion: motion from stillness, airiness from mass.

The desk uses 3D-printed columns formed from a bonded mix of magnesium and beech wood dust, resulting in a tactile composite with the look and feel of compacted sand. It is also a modular three-piece system, designed to reconfigure from stool to bench, bench with side table, desk, or dining table. Borrowing the classical logic of column components, each element becomes a versatile building block, allowing users to choreograph space in response to need. ‘I treat classical motifs as raw material, reshaping them through a modern lens until they feel both familiar and strangely futuristic,’ says the designer. ‘They see something that looks ancient or heavy, but then they touch it and everything shifts. It’s about that moment of wonder; when material, memory, and perception all clash in the best way.’

Dust Order reimagines the elegance of Corinthian columns

crafting new ‘architectural relics’

The collection sits at the edge of digital surrealism, deliberately creating objects that look rendered but are intensely real. While AI-generated images strive for realism, Roc H Biel flips the script: crafting tangible objects that feel dreamlike, inviting viewers into a liminal space where physical and pixel blur. This tension is echoed in the photographs, shot on location in a Welsh slate quarry that was once a site of extraction and sharp industrial waste. Its black, jagged landscape offers a dramatic contrast to Dust Order’s smooth, sand-coloured forms.

Set against a backdrop of clouds, the pieces appear almost suspended in the sky, as if gravity itself were uncertain. The result is a visual paradox: weight and weightlessness, ruin and refinement, the earthly and the surreal, all colliding in frame. Dust Order will be available as a limited edition collectible, produced upon request as part of Roc H Biel’s ongoing journey into sculptural, one-off design objects.

the project is a formal study in silhouette and void

the sculptural chair, photographed on quarry stone, juxtaposes mass and levity

shot on a Welsh slate quarrry, the project captures a striking contrast between industrial waste and soft, dreamlike forms

the desk uses 3D-printed columns formed from a bonded mix of magnesium and beech wood dust

two columns on stone, playing with scale, history, and distortion

organic textures mark these new ‘architectural relics’

deconstructing the capital, shaft, and entablature elements of classical architecture

project info:

name: Dust Order
designer: Roc H Biel | @roc.h.biel

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: ravail khan | designboom

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air taxis to fly and transport visitors during LA 2028 olympic and paralympic games

Archer Aviation to fly its air taxis during LA 2028

Archer Aviation announces it is the official air taxi provider for the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as Team USA. This agreement means Archer is to use its electric aircraft, called Midnight, to transport people during the event. The company works with LA28 – the official name of the Games – organizers to carry VIPs, fans, and event staff, to name a few. Archer will also set up vertiports, which are landing and takeoff zones, for the eVTOLs.

These are spread around key locations throughout the event’s period, which runs between July 14th and 30th for the Olympics and August 15th and 27th for the Paralympics. These vertiports support emergency and security teams as well. The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games expect to draw over 15 million visitors and reach a global audience through broadcasts. As part of the partnership, Archer and LA28 introduce the Midnight air taxis across Los Angeles as well as support Team USA during the LA 2028 games.

all images courtesy of Archer Aviation

Vertiports’ locations include LA airports and Hollywood

Design-wise, the Midnight air taxis by the aviation company Archer have pilots manning them. These eVTOLs, which are the air transport vehicles during the LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, can carry four passengers at once. It has 12 engines and propellers, and the design includes backup systems in case of failure. Archer is working to meet safety standards similar to those required for commercial airplanes. So far, the aircraft is produced in the US at Archer’s facilities in San Jose, California, and Covington, Georgia.

Archer plans to allow people – both residents and visitors – to use Midnight to fly from one vertiport to another within the city. A typical flight takes 10 to 20 minutes. The network of locations includes Los Angeles International Airport, Hollywood, Orange County, Santa Monica, Inglewood, and the LA Memorial Coliseum. The agreement also gives Archer access to media coverage through NBCUniversal during the 2026 and 2028 Olympics, including the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Both Archer and the LA28 team say they aim to change how people travel in Los Angeles during the Games and even after them.

Archer Aviation announces that it is the official air taxi provider for the LA 2028 Games

the company is to use its electric aircraft, called Midnight, to transport people during the event

the vertiports are spread around key locations throughout the event’s period

these vertiports support emergency and security teams as well

the Midnight air taxis have pilots manning them

project info:

company: Archer Aviation | @flyarcher

event: LA28 (LA 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games) | @la28games

dates: July 14th to 30th, 2028 for the Olympics; August 15th to 27th, 2028 for the Paralympics

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looking back at highlights from SVA product design master’s program in new york

SVA CELEBRATES 12 YEARS OF ITS MFA PRODUCTs OF DESIGN PROGRAM

Marking twelve years since the launch of the MFA in Products of Design, the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City continues to offer one of the most comprehensive master’s programs in design education. Rooted in a philosophy that design not only shapes objects but also consequences, the program spans five key domains: physical products, digital platforms, social innovation, service & experience design, and commercial ventures.

Graduates have launched impactful careers, with their projects winning international awards and and, in some cases, being produced and sold through esteemed institutions like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Looking back at a range of standout projects and initiatives that have emerged throughout the years, together they exemplify the departments’ creative reach and social ambition.

celebrating twelve years of MFA in Products of Design at SVA | all images courtesy of SVA

NEW YORK’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PROGRAM IN DESIGN

The MFA in Products of Design curriculum at SVA combines hands-on prototyping with critical studies in leadership, public policy, business, climate change, and behavioral psychology, encouraging students to design with purpose and long-term impact. This broad framework is taught by faculty members who are actively practicing designers, bringing current insights and professional expertise directly into the classroom.

The design school’s program fosters deep creative inquiry through a no-grade policy that prioritizes experimentation over evaluation. Among its distinctive features is DESIGN:MATCH, a reverse job fair where students choose the companies they want to meet — past participants include Apple, Google, IDEO, and Spotify. Additionally, an annual collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art offers students the rare opportunity to propose original product ideas for potential manufacture and retail through MoMA’s Design Store.

every year, MFA students n Products of Design pitch products for possible manufacture by MoMA

LOOKING BACK AT THE MASTER’S STANDOUT PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES

Over the years, graduate projects from SVA’s master program have tackled a wide range of critical issues, including technology, health, justice, and cultural preservation. Examples of recent innovation include Natya.AI by Yukti Arora (Class of 2024), a dance training tool powered by computer vision and natural language processing designed to support Bharatanatyam practitioners. This platform offers real-time feedback and performance analysis, using emerging technology to preserve and evolve a classical art form.

bridging tradition and technology: Natya.AI for Bharatanatyam dancers

Another notable project is ‘When No One Believes You’ by Antya Waegemann (Class of 2018), which reimagines how rape kits and sexual assault response materials are designed and deployed. Her thesis proposed six interventions, including two redesigns of the standard rape kit, an emergency resource app, a DNA detection tool for medical exams, and a tracking system for kit processing. Aimed at improving reporting rates, reducing stigma, and increasing accountability, her work addresses the systemic challenges faced by survivors, medical professionals, and law enforcement alike.

Waegemann, the founder of Margo Health and part of the Trust and Safety team at Tinder, previously worked with InVision, Johnson & Johnson, and frog Design. She has received numerous accolades, including Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Award (2020), the ICFF x Interior Design Magazine Award (2019), and was a speaker at the 2020 Design Indaba Conference. She also teaches design research and integration in the MFA Products of Design program.

When No One Believes You: Redesigning the Rape Kit and Responses to Sexual Assault

The master program’s impact extends beyond individual projects through public exhibitions like ‘The Datalogue,’ ‘Engender,’ and ‘Re:Actors.’ These shows explore pressing themes such as digital ethics, gender identity, and post-pandemic social behavior. Presented at major international design fairs, they have earned recognition with the ‘Best of Schools’ award from ICFF + WantedDesign.

Students at SVA’s Products of Design master program often describe their experience as transformative, highlighting how it challenges and expands their creative perspectives. Gustav Ole Dyrhauge, interactive designer at Apple and proud graduate, shares how the program reshaped his confidence and approach: ‘I did not feel like a designer before joining PoD (despite having an undergraduate degree in design). The program gave me the confidence and experience to take on big challenges, clients, and projects as a designer. Imagine the most talented makers, experts, and designers in the world teaching you about their favorite topic every day for two years. If that does not promote credibility, confidence, and motivation, then I don’t know what does.’

With rolling admissions open year-round, there’s still time to join this dynamic community shaping the future of design. Learn more about the MFA in Products of Design at SVA NYC and when you’re ready, submit your application through their apply page.

Engender exhibition from MFA Products of Design at NYCxDesign

The Datalogue at Wanted Design NYCxDESIGN 2018

MoMA De Stijl Tumbling Tower by Monica Albernoz

MoMA Perpetual Sliding Calendar by Giancarlo Cipri

Mousk App by Cathy Tung

project info:

course: MFA in Products of Design | @svapod

school: School of Visual Arts (SVA | NYC)

location: New York, NY, United States

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kolman boye architects tucks minimalist ‘ravine house’ into steep swedish landscape

a house embedded within a ravine

Tucked into a steep gully northwest of Sweden‘s Skurusundet strait, Kolman Boye Architects‘ newly completed Ravine House finds its footing between two rock faces. With cliffs rising sharply to the east and west, and limited road access, the site posed difficult questions. The design team approaches the challenge with measured restraint, allowing the contours of the landscape to guide the design.

The area surrounding the residential project was once dotted by modest red cottages, seasonal dwellings built for city residents seeking to escape into nature. Over time, many of these have been replaced with permanent homes. On this plot, evidence of a former house remains — granite retaining walls step down through the terrain, ending in a half-moon pond. Rather than erase these fragments, Kolman Boye Architects allowed them to shape the new timber intervention.

images © Johan Dehlin, KBA

spatial clarity and connection

Built across three levels, the house by Kolman Boye Architects occupies a narrow footprint that threads through the ravine. By embedding the lower story into the hillside, the architects make room for an additional floor while maintaining a discreet profile. This vertical approach allowed ravine house to meet height and zoning regulations while preserving the layered topography of the site.

Circulation is organized around a timber staircase that connects the home’s stacked levels. The bottom floor houses utility spaces, while the middle level holds bedrooms and the main entrance. At the top, an open-plan living area, enclosed by glazing, captures panoramic views of the Stockholm port inlet. Each floor opens to a different part of the terraced garden, deepening the connection between interior and exterior.

the house is built into a ravine with cliffs on both sides near Sweden’s Skurusundet strait

kolman bay architects’ material experimentation

With the design of its Ravine House, Kolman Boye Architects explore material upgrades with a humble and rigorous approach. While the studio’s earlier projects, like the Saltviga House, repurpose floor off-cuts, here the studio refined knotty pine into a cleaner finish. Using a process of cutting, sorting, and gluing, the timber was transformed into knotless panels for exposed areas, while structural portions relied on the unrefined remnants.

Through this approach, the Ravine House achieves a careful balance between economy and craftsmanship. The pinewood’s quiet grain softens the home’s rectilinear form, giving texture to its precise geometries. With each material choice, Kolman Boye Architects reinforces its commitment to thoughtful construction, shaped by the constraints and character of the land.

the site retains remnants of a previous home, including terraced stone walls and a granite pond

Kolman Boye Architects designed a three-story structure with a compact footprint

the lower floor is embedded in the slope to meet height restrictions and minimize visual impact

each level opens directly onto a different part of the terraced garden

project info:

name: Ravine House

architect: Kolman Boye Architects | @kolmanboye

location: Skurusundet, Nacka, Sweden

completion: 2024
gross internal area: 150 square meters
photography: © Johan Dehlin | @johan_dehlin

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RA design studio tops radial ‘habitat 0’ community hub with rooftop garden in india

A Circular Concept shapes a gardened amphitheater

The design of Habitat 0 by RA Design Studio begins with a simple circle. Sited in India, among a neighborhood of vacation homes is organized radially around a central courtyard, the community hub draws energy from its continuous shape. Rather than imposing direction, the circle allows the space to unfold gradually, offering each dwelling generous access to the surrounding landscape. This orientation fosters a subtle rhythm, one that moves between privacy and exposure without interruption.

A central, terraced amphitheater moves between function and gesture. It is at once a gathering space and an architectural hinge for both passage and pause. The steps rise to meet a garden rooftop and double as seating, observation point, and informal meeting ground. The architecture engages gently with the land, inviting movement through shared space without requiring a prescribed use.

images © Vinay Panjwani

RA Design Studio’s Dual-Skin Envelope

The defining form of Habitat 0, conceived by the architects at RA Design Studio, emerges through its layered skin. An outer shell of arches shields the structure, carving shadows that animate the interiors throughout the day. These shadows sometimes echo natural forms, casting curves that appear momentary and alive. Inside, a transparent glass wall maintains openness, drawing light into the homes while sustaining a visual dialogue with the gardens beyond.

The community center carries a deliberate continuity between architecture and landscape. The route from exterior garden to inner courtyard and eventually to the roof garden reflects a sequence that never breaks from its natural surroundings. RA Design Studio reinforces this relationship through an alignment of pathways, views, and transitions that celebrate the landscape and feel inherently grounded in place.

A semi-sheltered pool anchors one side of the building. Designed as part of the building’s circular plan, the space slips partially into shade beneath the curving roof. Light enters through roof cutouts, animated by the movement of water. Sloped walls around the pool guide the eye and the body into this carved retreat, which remains both secluded and open to the sky.

RA Design Studio’s Habitat 0 is organized around a circular courtyard that connects each unit to nature

habitat 0 draws from its community

RA Design Studio curates the materiality of its Habitat 0 to demonstrate a commitment to its context. The architects sourced local materials and engaged nearby artisans to realize the project, noting that the construction process embeds the community in its environment both economically and culturally. The stone, concrete, and timber used in the project speak to their origin, anchoring the homes to the landscape with both familiarity and durability.

The smaller gestures throughout Habitat 0 amplify the whole. RA Design Studio treats each surface as an opportunity for interaction between shadow and light. Arches project patterns on walls and floors, while frameless glass panels dissolve the boundaries between inside and out. Openings above the amphitheater and pool draw in the sky. At night, lighting is restrained and intentional, giving weight to stillness and reflection.

the central amphitheater serves as both a gathering space and a circulation path

arched outer walls provide shade and texture while the inner glass skin allows transparency and light

paths through gardens, courtyards, and terraces maintain a fluid transition between indoors and outdoors

shadows from the arches and skylights animate the interiors and change throughout the day

project info:

name: Habitat 0 Community Hub

architect: RA Design Studio | @radesign_ahmedabad

location: India

lead architect: Radhika savani Dutt
landscape design: Arpit Dutt

area: 855 square meters
completion: 2024
photography: © Vinay Panjwani | @panjwani.vinay

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