WEEK IN REVIEW

US PAVILION CURATOR TIZZIANA BALDENEBRO ON PLASTIC WASTE

the 2023 venice architecture biennale is well underway, inviting guests to explore the different ways nations and individuals respond to this year's theme, 'the laboratory of the future'. designboom spoke with tizziana baldenebro, co-curator of the us pavilion, about 'everlasting plastics', the exhibition challenging our wasteful reliance on single-use materials while offering alternative perspectives on the lifecycle and role of plastics in architecture and design. ‘the works on view expand extant narratives and make us conscious of the silent and unconscious ways we’ve employed plastics as a material,’ baldenebro tells us. read the conversation in full here, and discover more recent interviews here.

WATCH: MATHIEU LEHANNEUR UNVEILS THE DESIGN OF THE OLYMPIC TORCH PARIS 2024

on tuesday, french designer mathieu lehanneur unveiled the torch for the paris 2024 olympics and paralympics. made of steel, the torch is split into two parts, featuring a polished, smooth upper part and a sculpted bottom part that pays tribute to the rippling water in the river seine. 'designing the olympic torch is a designer's dream: a dream that only comes true once in a lifetime, like a miraculous encounter with history,' notes lehanneur. 'as ritualistic as it is magical, the torch is a mythical object. as a symbol of cohesion and sharing, it is the veritable key to opening the games.' watch the designer explain the concept and process behind the torch here.

A STEPPED CONCRETE CAFÉ IN THAILAND

a concrete, circular, and stepped café on the riverside of amphwa, thailand, blends into its surrounding landscape while shielding visitors from the tropical sun. designed by bangkok-based looklen architects, the pomelo amphawa café stands as an all-day, accessible public space and a contemporary landmark. see more submissions by our readers here, and find out how to upload your own project here.

the weekly is an inside review curated by sofia lekka angelopoulou.