DESIGN DISPATCH

MAD Architects Rolls Out a Tornado Staircase in Rotterdam, and Other News

Plus, Adam Neumann gets back in the coworking game, and Elizabeth Street Garden is served with a notice to vacate.

Credit: Frank Hanswij, courtesy of MAD Architects.

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MAD Architects’ rollercoaster-like “Tornado” staircase in Rotterdam has been completed.

MAD Architects has completed the final phase of the Tornado staircase, a striking 100-foot-tall architectural feature at Rotterdam’s Fenix Museum of Migration. Clad in stainless steel and designed as a double-helix, the staircase symbolizes the flow of migration and offers panoramic views of the city, harbor, and museum.

Adam Neumann gets back in the coworking space with Workflow, a WeWork competitor.

WeWork founder Adam Neumann has launched Workflow, a coworking space concept aimed at creating a more grown-up version of WeWork. Workflow, a service backed by Neumann’s real-estate startup Flow, would operate within residential buildings owned or managed by the startup, avoiding the long-term lease model that contributed to WeWork’s downfall.

Jeffrey Gibson. Photography by Brian Barlow

On the heels of his Venice Biennale commission, Hauser & Wirth signs Jeffrey Gibson.

Jeffrey Gibson, the first Indigenous artist to represent the U.S. solo at the Venice Biennale, is now represented by Hauser & Wirth. Known for his vibrant use of color and exploration of Indigenous, queer, and American histories, Gibson will debut a solo show with the gallery in Paris next year. 

An eviction notice requires Elizabeth Street Garden to vacate its site in just 14 days.

The beloved community gathering space Elizabeth Street Garden has been served an eviction notice as the City of New York moves forward with plans to demolish the space for a mixed-use luxury retail, office, and residential project with some affordable housing units. Despite public opposition and ongoing legal challenges, the city intends to build 123 affordable apartments for seniors on the site, a development criticized for offering only temporary affordability. 

CFDA and Google launch a fashion fellowship with Area, Collina Strada, and Diotima.

The CFDA and Google have launched the Fashion Equity Fellowship, providing $50,000 grants to three designers—Area, Collina Strada, and Diotima—to support their February 2025 New York Fashion Week collections. The fellowship focuses on inclusive design, with designers working closely with Google’s product inclusion and equity team. 

Image credit: Ronda Churchill / AFP

Today’s attractive distractions:

Take a deep dive into the hyperpop stars that almost but never ascended. 

A 43-foot-tall naked Donald Trump effigy briefly sowed chaos in Nevada. 

It turns out the toxic fog of London’s industrial revolution is a darling muse.

A vintage Ford Bronco could make the most compelling EV we’ve seen yet. 

 

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