12 new books for summer 2025. For discovering and pondering, and new possible worlds

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A fairy tale from Formafantasma, Rem Koolhaas' villa of mysteries, reissues of cult books by Alice Rawsthorn and Carlo Ratti, and reflections on new ecological literacy. Plus numerous interior design projects

"Down Under: The Curious Fall of a Child Who Knew Nothing and Became Everything" by Formafantasma, Nero Edizioni

Following in the footsteps of Munari and Sottsass and their children's books, Formafantasma are also trying their hand at a fairy tale, a.k.a. a publishing project, illustrated by Clément Vuillier. Ecological, because it is an invitation to rethink our relationship with nature. Dual, because it is a transgenerational educational tool also aimed at adult readers given its scientific narrative and collection of interviews with geologists, entomologists and microbiologists. The moral of the tale - taking the former Belgian mine in Genk as an example – is to consider post-industrial areas as ecosystems rather than places to be exploited or abandoned.

“The House of Dr Koolhaas", by Françoise Fromonot, Park Books

This is the first volume in the Gumshoe series of architectural books written in the style of detective novels, each focusing on a significant building with a mystery to be solved. The first of these is Villa Dall'Ava, designed by Rem Koolhaas (1985-1991), in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Cloud. It is a manifesto house that subverts the usual concept of perspective, characterised by a highly light-permeable promenade and a swimming pool on the roof with a view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. It’s a decidedly non-conformist construction, perfect for launching this unusual series, in which the authors become detectives reopening unsolved cases, looking for clues and being led up the wrong tracks.

"Design as an Attitude", by Alice Rawsthorn, Einaudi

A completely revised edition of a cult book. The title, identical to the original, still stands as a tribute to the intellectual and artist Moholy-Nagy, a pioneer of design geared to the needs of the individual and society. However, the chapter on design's response to the climate emergency through the new generation of attitudinal designers and the initiatives of large companies, which go beyond commercial interests to promote practices of manual experimentation and pro bono work, is entirely new. A snapshot of the discipline of design, which is shrugging off its aesthetic identity to embrace a more inclusive attitude, open to collaboration and cross-pollination.

"Architettura Open Source reloaded", by Carlo Ratti with Matthew Claudel, Einaudi

A re-edition of a seminal volume. The distinctive element of this reloaded version is the introduction - an "impossible conversation" between a mathematician turned architect and an engineer turned designer, i.e. between Carlo Ratti, curator of the 2025 Architecture Biennale, and Christopher Alexander (1936-2022), a design theorist known for his innovative approach to pattern-based architectural design. Generated with the help of artificial intelligence (LLM), the imaginary dialogue compares two distinct views on participation in design processes, updating the comparison between pattern language and open source in the light of the latest technological developments.

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"Inequalities", edited by Marilia Pederbelli, graphic design Pentagram, Electa

We live in a world of growing inequalities. From economic and ethnic inequalities to those of geographical origin and gender. The appeal launched by Inequalities, 24a Esposizione Internazionale di Triennale Milano (until 9th November 2025), is to start valuing human relationships again, as an antidote. The catalogue (384 pp.) delves deeper into and elaborates on the content of the exhibition through critical essays, such as Tim Ingold's manifesto for a new humanism. The final message of this great collective project is that research into the subject and history both show that even inequalities can be blurred through targeted policies and collective commitment.

"Architecture and Energy - Building in the age of climate change", by Annette Becker, Peter Cachola Schmal, Werner Sobek, Hirmer Publishers, in English and German

How to deal with building construction in an era of climate change? Through twenty-three best practices in Belgium, Denmark, France and, above all, Germany, this book - which accompanies the exhibition of the same name at the Deutsches Architekturmuseum in Frankfurt until 5 October - attempts to provide a concrete answer to this increasingly pressing question. The energy requirements of buildings are high and are responsible for a significant amount of global CO2 emissions - around 40 per cent more than in any other sector - from construction to (eventual) demolition.

"Circular materials", by Joe Gibbs, Gestalten

Biodegradable bags made from fruit peel and building façades waterproofed with ice cream tubs or furniture that breathes life into surfboards salvaged from English beaches. These are just three of the approximately fifty case studies presented in the book that prioritise environmental impact without compromising creativity and functionality. An exploration of sustainability in design, architecture and innovation, and how designers and architects are reinventing the life cycle of materials, moving from linear consumption to circular systems based on reuse, regeneration and responsibility. The future of design is and must be environmentally aware.

"Giving Shapes to the World", by Andrea Staid, Utet

The author invites architects and designers is to radically rethink our relationship with the planet by embracing an eco-centric vision that recognises the interdependence between all forms of life, thus contributing to a new way of inhabiting the world that respects its ecological complexity. This multidisciplinary reflection on the role of design at this time of environmental crisis enucleates the concept of "multinaturalist design", proposing that we go beyond the anthropocentric mindset in order to recognise that even animal and vegetable species, even ecosystems, own a form of material agency, which is the capacity to actively influence the way the world is configured.

"Defining Style: The Book of Interior Design", by Joan Barzilay Freund, introduction by Asad Syrkett Phaidon

An alphabetical guide to 25 key styles of contemporary interior design. From Modernism to Minimalism, from Mediterranean to Tropical, to more contemporary styles such as Biophilic or Textured, or particular declinations such as Monochrome or Pattern. Each of the 260 images represents a living room, studio or bedroom around the world, from America to Africa, and Australia to Italy, and is described by a rounded text in which the different interior designers and owners - including the artist Mariko Mori and the singers Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats - tell their stories about how these interiors came to life.

"Mediterranean Homes: The Art of Embracing Light", edited by Orna Tamir Schestowitz, Rizzoli

An evocative journey into the light of the Mediterranean through the three homes of Israeli artist, designer and curator Orna Tamir Schestowitz, reflecting her passion for ceramics, archaeology and nature. Celebrated along with fashion photographer Dudi Hasson and design critic Beth Dunlop, these domestic spaces in Tel Aviv, Cap Ferrat and Paros express a luminosity that defines space, colour and form but is also owed to the powerful interaction between light and shadow. "The Mediterranean is an idea, a philosophy shaped by the relentless sun and the timeless rhythms of nature," the artist explains.

Encounters. Design Scott Brown's Photographs

"Encounters. Denise Scott Brown's Photographs", edited by Izzy Kornblatt, Lars Müller Publishers

A photographic diary with themes. Photography has always been a multifaceted medium for the legendary American architect-urbanist and theorist, born in 1931, enabling a critical reflection on the world and everyday life, crucial for research and teaching, and also an integral part of design. Selected by Scott Brown himself, the 383 photographs - taken with his faithful Alpa between the 1950s and 1970s, i.e. from his departure from South Africa to his marriage to Robert Venturi - are the result of his thoughtful, conscious practice of observation, which later informed his famous Learning from Las Vegas.

"Not Here, Not Now", by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, MIT Press

When reality fails us, what can designers do? The authors, designers and Professors of Design and Social Inquiry at The New School/Parsons in New York, propose new ways of thinking about the possible — and about the meaning, function, and place of design in that speculative world of “not here, not now.” A conceptual journey through words, images and objects capturing, in design form, some impossible ideas, helping the reader to imagine how they might become possible or even probable. The design responses presented - such as the vegetable lamb and the stone raft - are improbable objects, but they aim to nourish the creative and intellectual ground from which new, as yet unknown possibilities might emerge. Both a book and a challenge.

31 July 2025

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