Dezeen Magazine

Serpentine Pavilion by Counterspace

Dezeen's top 10 architecture and design videos of 2021

Continuing our review of 2021, Dezeen picks our top 10 videos of the year including exclusive interviews with architects Sumayya Vally and Kengo Kuma and behind-the-scenes looks at the most notable installations of the year.


Serpentine Pavilion 2021 by Sumayya Vally

In the first of our highlighted videos, Sumayya Vally discussed the meaning behind her Serpentine Pavilion design in an exclusive video filmed at the temporary building.

The structure was designed to celebrate and reference London's migrant communities. Vally took cues from iconic cultural spaces such as the Four Aces Club in Dalston, one of the first London music venues to showcase black musicians.

Find out more about Sumayya Vally's Serpentine Pavilion ›


 

Bamboo ring installation by Kengo Kuma 

In this exclusive video produced by Dezeen for OPPO, Kengo Kuma describes how he wanted to create a "spiritual experience" through his Milan Design Week pavilion.

The piece combined traditional bamboo with contemporary technology. Lengths of bamboo were bound to carbon-fibre backing and coiled to form a giant ring-like structure.

The pavilion also acted as a percussive instrument and used reverberating motors, speakers and exciters to generate sound. The percussion was accompanied by a score composed by Japanese violinist Midori Komachi and architectural sound design studio Musicity.

Find out more about Kengo Kuma's installation ›


 

Isamu Noguchi exhibition at the Barbican

In this video, curator Florence Ostende took us through the Isamu Noguchi retrospective at the Barbican Centre in London.

The video showcased the prolific work of Noguchi, a 20th-century artist who created works in sculpture, lighting, furniture, performance and set design. He is best known for his iconic Akari light sculptures. Ostende described the ideas behind Noguchi's work, delving into the social aspect of his work.

Find out more about the Noguchi exhibition ›


 

Aurora installation by Arthur Mamou-Mani & Dassault Systèmes 

The next video in our round-up focused on a recent installation at the London Design Museum designed by architect Arthur Mamou-Mani in collaboration with Dassault Systèmes.

The installation, which coincided with the Waste Age exhibition, was designed to explore circular architecture. It was created using a 100 per cent recyclable bioplastic made from fermented sugar.

Find out more about Aurora ›


 

Scroll wins Dezeen and LG Display's OLEDs Go! competition

The winner of Dezeen and LG Display's OLEDs Go! competition was revealed in this video. Entrants to the competition were tasked with creating innovative new designs that showcased OLED technology's key qualities.

First place was awarded to Richard Bone and Jisu Yun for their design titled Scroll. Scroll mimics an unravelling roll of paper and can be used as both a physical and digital display. This multipurpose design was chosen for its practicalness and innovation.

Find out more about the OLEDs Go! competition › 


 

Gravity chandelier by Paul Cocksedge for Moooi

British designer Paul Cocksedge told us about his new chandelier 'shaped by gravity' in this video.

Designed for Moooi, the piece was designed to reinvent the traditional chandelier as something more accessible. The video was part of our Design Dreams series with the Dutch brand, which explores how successful designers turned their dreams into reality.

Find out more about Paul Cocksedge's Gravity chandelier ›


 

Social architecture pavilions at Chart Art Fair

Dezeen created this video showcasing the five architecture pavilions on display at this year's Chart Art Fair in Copenhagen.

Installations responded to the idea of "social architecture", and included an edible dining canopy, a temporary pavilion made from inflatable bags and a human-scaled wire reconstruction of Charlottenborg, the arts venue where the fair was held.

Find out more about Chart Art Fair's pavilions ›


 

Liquid bathroom collection for VitrA by Tom Dixon

In this video, Tom Dixon described how he collaborated with VitrA to create his first bathroom collection.

Named Liquid, the collection features smooth, chunky forms and soft lines, creating a minimalist aesthetic. "What I'm trying to get to is almost an expressive minimalism, where what you're trying to do is have a very visible functionality and reduce visual noise," Dixon told Dezeen.

Find out more about the Liquid bathroom collection ›


 

Costume sofa for Magis by Stefan Diez

In this video produced by Dezeen for Magis, industrial designer Stefan Diez explained how he created a user-friendly sofa made from recycled plastic.

As well as using sustainable materials, the sofa was designed to be easily re-assembled, repaired and replaced. The modular style allows owners to configure the sofa in endless formations.

Find out more about Stefan Diez's Costume sofa ›


 

3D-printed bridge by Holcim and Zaha Hadid Architects 

Holcim CEO Jan Jenisch described the construction process behind a new 3D-printed concrete bridge in this video produced by Dezeen.

The project, titled Striatus, was a collaboration between Block Research Group, the Computation and Design Group at Zaha Hadid Architects and 3D printing specialists incremental3D. It aims to demonstrate how concrete, a typically carbon-heavy material, can be used in more sustainable ways.

Find out more about Striatus ›