The World Design Capital for 2012 is having a design renaissance. Helsinki officials, academics and designers are inspired by the chance to prove it isn’t stuck in the shade of its mid-century heritage.
Three key facts:…
With design playing a more integrated role in government and business strategy around the world, Monocle hunts down the establishments spear-heading new movements and others that are keeping traditional ones alive.
Considering that 66 per cent of the world’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050 and that affordable housing is already a rarity, municipalities must think of creative ways to increase its availability. As part…
It isn’t as easy as some governments might suppose to build a metropolis from scratch with all the vibrancy of a city that has grown naturally. So here are three examples of cities from different periods of history that…
As Nokia takes part of its software development abroad, a new generation of Finnish entrepreneurs is waiting to fill the gap – as long as they get the chance.
The old master still teaching his would-be successors new tricks, Álvaro Siza is as dedicated to architecture now as when he started his practice 60 years ago. Optimistic despite his country’s predicament, his focus is set…
The latest cohort of design graduates have had some of the usual routes to the marketplace closed to them by the pandemic. Yet many have remained impressively innovative in both strategy and product. We call in on seven…
The Finnish capital’s new public library was the result of an anonymous open competition. As other cities look for a less ‘starchitect’ future, it shows what can be achieved with a little democracy.