Gantri, the 3D-printed on-demand lighting brand, welcomes the summer season with a quartet of whimsically imagined lamps for their third edition of the Independent Creator Release. (See first edition here) The playfully vibrant 2023 Summer collection glows with optimism inspired by the colors of summer and the season’s sociable warm evenings, represented by five new lights designed by four emerging, international designers.

Field Trip Table Light by Joey Zeledón: A portable task light incorporating a sleek caddy in its base to transform any corner of the home into a space for learning. Zeledón designed the light in response to the difficulties many encountered during the pandemic in attempting to establish a working space in any available corner of their homes. The empathetic spirit of the design should be no surprise considering the designer is also the author of Touchy/Feely, a book about emotional ergonomics.

Field Trip Table Light is available in three vibrant colorways: Sunrise (yellow), Sage (green), and Blossom (pink). It retails for $248.

Figra Table and Wall Lights by Simon Schmitz: Figra presents a juxtaposition of forms, a sculptural balance act between a cylindrical shade intersecting with a sizable block base. The unconventional geometry lends both a visual heft and a literal stable base.

The Figra Table Light (top) and Figra Wall Light (bottom) are both available in three colorways: Fog (light gray), Canyon (burnt red), and Midnight (deep blue); the Wall Light retails for $248 and Table Light retails for $198.

Macaron Table Light by Romulo Temigue: Taking its form from that most beloved of Parisian treats, Brazilian designer Romulo Temigue’s Macaron looks every bit its tasty namesake. The sandwiched 360º diffuser glows with an ambient luminescence that we imagine would work its glowing best set upon a side table or bedside as the last light you turn off before inviting sleep.

Macaron Table Light is available in three colorways Sunset (yellow), Forest (dark green), and Stone (light gray). It retails for $248.

Squish Table Light by BEBOP: Just as it may take a village to raise a child, so too did the collective talents of designers spanning Seoul and San Francisco come together to develop the softly tactile reinterpretation of the light as an amorphous silhouette – a primordial oversized light bulb imagined to glow warmly in a corner of a nightstand or small apartment home office.

Squish Table Light is available in one classic colorway, Sand (white), and retails for $198.

Gantri Founder & CEO, Ian Yang describes the whimsical collection as lights imagined to illuminate spirits as effectively as the spaces in which they’ll eventually come to occupy. “These designs [are] about brightening lives, sparking conversations, and encouraging a more thoughtful way of living.”

For more on the Summer 2023 Independent Creator Release collection, head to gantri.com.

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Gregory Han is the Managing Editor of Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.

It’s easy to sit back and wait for the right technology to come along to help us help the planet – but maybe we should stop waiting and move forward regardless. How we construct and transform buildings today has an enormous impact on people and communities, as well as the ecosystems that will sustain us tomorrow. The holistic indoor climates created in the process can also play a crucial role in our day-to-day wellness.

Welcome to Living Places Copenhagen, a conceptual living environment that demonstrates how we can improve peoples’ lives – indoor and out – by making better building choices. Located in Jernbanebyen, and brought to life by VELUX, in partnership with EFFEKT, Artelia, and Enemærke & Petersen, Living Places aptly displays how to build sustainably and rethink current processes, while also challenging the industry to speed up innovations and the implementation of responsible, sustainable building solutions.

CLT House Photo: Adam Mørk

You might be thinking, “This all sounds great, but what proof do they have?” Well, Living Places has Denmark’s lowest CO2 footprint and a first-class indoor climate, proving that we don’t have to wait for future technology to make better decisions for ourselves and the environment right now. With this experimental mindset at the forefront, the brand partners carefully considered each material, design, and building technique to reduce the environmental impact and improve human health. It all begins with five principles: Healthy, Shared, Simple, Adaptive, and Scalable.

Timberframe House Photo: Adam Mørk

Timberframe House Photo: Adam Mørk

The exhibition mapped emissions projections against the typical Danish house and built the first Living Places project, an exhibition that includes seven prototypes – five open pavilions and two finished full-scale houses – sharing their take on healthy, sustainable homes. Each prototype has its own program that’s been curated to show how we live in homes, in communities, and the role of buildings within the larger picture. By analyzing all stages of the building’s life cycle and understanding the implication of every single design choice, Living Places achieved three times lower carbon footprint emissions and a first-class indoor climate with existing technology.

CLT House Photo: Adam Mørk

Timberframe House Photo: Adam Mørk

Did you know that we spend 90% of our time indoors? How our homes are built can affect our physical and mental health on every level. Aside from creating a better living environment for our planet, Living Places is simultaneously forging a path towards a future-oriented society that enhances living conditions for people through an emphasis on Daylight, Thermal Environment, Indoor Air Quality, Acoustics, and Outdoor Connection. By rethinking the way we build, we can potentially have a big impact on the construction industry as a whole.

CLT House Photo: Adam Mørk

CLT House Photo: Adam Mørk

Starting from the ground up, each building component has been optimized for the best price, indoor climate, and carbon footprint, with special focus given to the elements of the building where significant CO2 savings can be achieved. The concept has already received third party verification from AAU BUILD to have a 3x lower CO2 footprint than an average Danish single-family house at 3.8 kg CO2 eq/m2/year.

Timberframe House Photo: Adam Mørk

Timberframe House Photo: Adam Mørk

Diagrams show that if Denmark were to build all single-family homes, row houses, and double houses – like Living Places – approximately one million tons of CO2 could be saved every year. It would mark a significant contribution to the country’s climate goals that commit to cutting emissions by 70% by 2030. In order to achieve this goal, the building sector needs to reduce CO2 emissions by 5.8 million tons – Living Places would reduce emissions from the industry by 17% on its own. The project has a pioneering commitment to become Lifetime Carbon Neutral by 2041, taking responsibility for both past and future carbon emissions. So, think bigger. What would be the result if this experiment were put into action worldwide?

Timberframe House Photo: Adam Mørk

The Compass Model

The foundation for Living Places is the Compass Model, a free tool created by EFFEKT Architects and VELUX that offers a simple, holistic framework for the planning, ideation, and design of sustainable buildings. The strategic tool outlines seven drivers to help guide the development and building process: Affordable, Local, Flexible, Quality, Environment, Community, and Health. Ultimately, the Compass Model provides collaborators across sectors a framework to follow and building principles to create homes that holistically benefit people and the planet. It can also highlight areas where research is needed, provide an overview of decision implications, and reflect influential design drivers throughout the process.

The Compass Model helps navigate the complex, multifaceted process by assisting designers in making informed, strategic decisions through three incremental steps. First, each new project begins with an evaluation of the ‘Strategic Drivers’ that are most pertinent and can ensure the greatest positive impact. Second, project teams then use 24 ‘Design Drivers’ as input for the concept development based on the brief and needs of the project. Lastly, a set of ‘Performance Drivers’ provides targeted solutions and strategies for the more advanced stages of design.

Timberframe House Photo: Adam Mørk

Timberframe House Photo: Adam Mørk

Living Places also includes the vision and knowledge needed to meet the holistic requirements – biodiversity, local culture, and location – of an Active House. An Active House is evaluated using the three main principles of comfort, energy, and environment. Performance is then measured using the Active House Radar, revealing the level of ambition of each main criteria and its sub-parameters. For a building to be considered an Active House, the level of ambition can be quantified into four levels, where one is the highest level, and four is the lowest and should be equal to or higher than four. Living Places includes all nine parameters of Active House and recommends nearly the best level for each.

Timberframe House Photo: Adam Mørk

CLT House Photo: Adam Mørk

With the building industry accounting for 34% of global energy consumption and 37% of CO2 emissions, the time for action is now. Homes built using the Living Places principles can be constructed at Danish market cost price, whether as single-family homes, row houses, or multifamily units. The next big step will be building the first full-scale Living Places community outside of Copenhagen in 2024/2025.

Living Places Copenhagen is now open and ready to be explored. Visit the exhibition in Jernbanebyen and experience it for yourself! Explore more at buildforlife.velux.com.

Kelly Beall is senior editor at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based graphic designer and writer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, and enjoys sharing her finds with others. When undistracted by great art and design, she can be found making a mess in the kitchen, consuming as much information as possible, or on the couch with her three pets. Find her @designcrush on social.