Urban regeneration is at the heart of a new initiative by designer Giacomo Moor and NGO LiveinSlums. ‘Design for Communities’, presented at Milan Design Week 2023 and on view until 26 May, draws on LiveinSlums’ years of experience in carrying out regeneration projects in one of Nairobi's largest slums, Mathare, focusing on reintegrating children and the young into school and work.
The group emphasises the importance of involving the communities inhabiting the spaces in the regeneration, in a bid for both long-term change and greater control over the living environment. It is a factor considered by Moor, who worked with the Mathare children on furniture prototypes for the dining hall and dormitory of the Why Not Academy, a school with 300 pupils. Children, paid for their contribution, also learnt lasting new techniques.
Photography: Onyango
The emphasis is firmly on functionality for the furniture, which embodies a simple usability and eschews the need for complex machinery and methods, requiring only a chisel, square and pencil. Furniture subscribes to the production simplification philosophy, which sidesteps decoration focusing instead on clean lines. The system is easily adaptable, with a construction system composed of sequential joints which can also be applied to other pieces, such as beds, benches and tables. Table tops are part of a padlock system which mean they can be easily replaced once weathered, while the interlocking system as a whole making complex techniques accessible for community life.
Photography: Omar Sartor
The public can discover the project in an exhibition hosted by Assab One, with ‘Design for Communities’ taking place in Milan. Furniture created by Moor will be displayed alongside an immersive photo installation, featuring photographers Francesco Giusti, Filippo Romano, Mattia Zoppellaro and Alessandro Treves, created for the School of Curiosity project, a school of photography which gives a platform to local authors as well as training new talent from the slum.
"Design for Communities" is on view until 26 May 2023 at Assab One
Via Privata Assab, 1 20132 Milano MI
-
Tuneshine is a new way of bringing back the lost art of the album coverThe compact Tuneshine screen uses LED tech to illuminate the artwork of whatever you’re currently streaming
-
Inside the new theatre at Jacob’s Pillow and its ‘magic box’, part of a pioneering complex designed for danceJacob’s Pillow welcomes the reborn Doris Duke Theatre by Mecanoo, a new space that has just opened in the beloved Berkshires cultural hub for the summer season
-
What to see at Rencontres d’Arles 2025, questioning power structures in the state and familySuppressed memories resurface in sharply considered photography at Rencontres d'Arles 2025. Here are some standout photographers to see
-
20 emerging designers shine in our ‘Material Alchemists’ filmWallpaper’s ‘Material Alchemists’ exhibition during Milan Design Week 2025 spotlighted 20 emerging designers with a passion for transforming matter – see it now in our short film
-
Delve into the Wallpaper* Design Directory 2025, on sale nowIn the July issue of Wallpaper*, find a photographic love letter to Milan Design Week, plus the best new furniture, lighting, kitchens, bathrooms and more
-
Tokyo design studio We+ transforms microalgae into coloursCould microalgae be the sustainable pigment of the future? A Japanese research project investigates
-
Delvis (Un)Limited turns a Brera shopfront into a live-in design installationWhat happens when collectible design becomes part of a live performance? The Theatre of Things, curated by Joseph Grima and Valentina Ciuffi, invited designers to live with their work – and let the public look in
-
Naoto Fukasawa sparks children’s imaginations with play sculpturesThe Japanese designer creates an intuitive series of bold play sculptures, designed to spark children’s desire to play without thinking
-
Inside the Shakti Design Residency, taking Indian craftsmanship to Alcova 2025The new initiative pairs emerging talents with some of India’s most prestigious ateliers, resulting in intricately crafted designs, as seen at Alcova 2025 in Milan
-
Faye Toogood comes up roses at Milan Design Week 2025Japanese ceramics specialist Noritake’s design collection blossoms with a bold floral series by Faye Toogood
-
6:AM create a spellbinding Murano glass showcase in Milan’s abandoned public shower stallsWith its first solo exhibition, ‘Two-Fold Silence’, 6:AM unveils an enchanting Murano glass installation beneath Piscina Cozzi
