Every year, Fentress Architects challenges design students to reimagine airports of the future. Since the competition launched in 2011, thousands of entries have competed, each offering innovative design schemes that foreshadow how airport terminals may evolve with shifting travel needs. “Each year, the submissions we receive are more innovative, spirited, and dynamic than the prior year, which shows an exciting outlook for the future of terminal design,” says firm president, CEO, and principal of design Curtis Fentress. This year’s theme tasked students with reimagining mobility for one of the world’s 20 busiest airports in 2100.

The Green Gateway, designed by Nikhil Bang and Kaushal Tatiya from SCI-Arc, took home top honors. Their proposal transforms Indira Gandhi International Airport into a zero-emission multimodal hub that reduces the environmental impact of air travel while enhancing mobility across New Delhi, one of the world’s most populous and polluted cities. It features a central terminal surrounded by six towers, located around the city, that act as air-purifying centers and stations for flying cars, serving as alternatives to domestic flights. The winning team receives a $15,000 prize; browse the full shortlist.

Have a news story our readers need to see? Submit it here.

Reach the design world every morning. Find out more about advertising in the Design Dispatch.

Can an It Bag be eco-friendly? Alex Dabagh’s aNYbag certainly makes a compelling case. The leather designer achieves a remarkable feat by converting discarded plastic, from ziplocks to film, into usable textiles. Typically fashioned in bold, poppy hues, the new all-black colorway, exclusive to Design Dose, pays homage to New York’s enduring infatuation with moody tones.

Amidst the whirlwind of seasonal trends, designers often find their best inspirations from decades past. For l’aviva home’s new Talabartero collection, the studio reminisced on the 20th century to create a sumptuous set of leather poufs and pillows in striking jewel tones.

When the team sat down to conceive the collection, they kept returning to La Dama, the iconic Fernando Botero painting of a Colombian woman sitting tall on horseback. Initially inspired by the work’s flat, bold colors, the team then began researching equestrian motifs. They were spellbound by the expert craftsmanship of vintage Colombian saddle-making—a craft that requires equal attention to function and handmade beauty. So why not combine both? By mixing Botero-inspired shades with saddle craftsmanship techniques, the Talabartero collection was born.

Working as a designer, gaffer, and rigger in the live entertainment industry for more than 15 years made Erin Lorek a master of wielding light to make space come to life. She now brings her expertise to Lorekform, a recently launched Brooklyn studio that explores how honest materials and experimental construction can make light’s deeply expressive nature dance, play, and enliven its surroundings.

When: Oct. 8–Nov. 12

Where: Kasmin, New York

What: Honoring the lineage of Spanish artists like Joan Miró who influenced Sodi’s trajectory, “Vers L’Espagne” (“To Spain”) features freestanding clay sculptures and monochromatic paintings whose absence of color nods to the simplicity of his signature materials: clay, sawdust, and pigment. To create his richly textured paintings’ dense surfaces, Sodi mixes these materials and throws them down onto a flat canvas. As their layers dry, structures form on their own, creating splintered ravines that recall the fissured landscapes of his native Mexico. Here, he goes one step further by impressing fractal patterns onto the surface using tree branches, lending an atmospheric quality that creates, as he describes, “feelings of warmth, calmness, and repose.”

As unemployment reached a staggering 14.7 percent during the global pandemic’s darkest moments, Americans have started seeking flexible alternatives to traditional employment. According to a new study by Upwork, 59 million Americans performed freelance work within the past year—this represents 36 percent of the total workforce, $1.2 trillion in economic contributions, and a 22 percent increase compared to 2019. The study also found that freelancing actually increases earning potential compared to traditional jobs, perhaps incentivizing workers to explore the gig economy in times of uncertainty.

The findings aren’t terribly surprising, and Upwork expects the trends to continue as cash-strapped companies continue to rely on freelancers as essential contributors. “The changing dynamics to the workforce that have occurred during the crisis demonstrate the value that freelancing provides to both businesses and workers,” Adam Ozimek, Upwork’s chief economist, tells CNBC. Society appears to be catching on: More than 70 percent of participants agree that perceptions around freelancing have recently become more positive.

MB&F is a laboratory based around a simple idea: assemble collectives of independent watchmaking professionals to develop radical horological masterpieces. By nurturing teams of talented individuals and crediting each person’s role, MB&F uses its synergy to reinterpret traditional watchmaking into three-dimensional kinetic sculptures.

Surface Says: Max Büsser doesn’t make watches. He crafts horological machines—with his friends. In an industry with a reputation for being stilted and pretentious, Büsser’s creative masterpieces surprise and delight watch collectors by appealing to their childhood memories and dreams.

The Queen Anne–style house in The Silence of the Lambs  hits the market.

In anticipation of Halloween, this expert chef bakes a batch of spooky pies.

Aesop teams with the perfumer Barnabé Fillion for cosmos-inspired candles.

Shake hands with a Michelin-starred eatery’s spicy fried chicken sandwich.