What’s Happening: By 3D-printing “living seawalls” that mimic coral reefs, the South Florida startup produces structures more quickly and cheaply than traditional methods—a crucial advantage as the region grapples with the threat of rising sea levels.

The Download: Rising sea levels are an imminent threat to coastal cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Miami, which even published a 40-year Stormwater Master Plan to combat the encroaching effects of climate change. Unless these cities act fast—and the government forks over $400 billion to aid seawall construction by 2040—their days above water might be numbered. South Florida may be particularly susceptible to upland erosion and surge flooding, but the region’s entrepreneurs are on the forefront of climate tech innovation. A recent disruptor in the field is Anya Freeman, the founder of Miami startup Kind Designs, which has devised a solution to 3D print “living seawalls.”

Seawalls are typically made of concrete built parallel to the shore to protect against coastal erosion. These structures are expensive to produce and degrade after 30 to 40 years, leaching toxins like chloride that make the water supply more alkaline and hostile to marine species. Freeman’s solution involves 3D-printing 95 percent of the seawall structure using recycled marine plastic fibers fortified with a proprietary additive rather than rebar. This approach allows Kind Designs to produce seawall panels more quickly, cheaply, and flexibly than traditional methods—a crucial advantage given that Florida will need 10,000 miles of them by 2040. Unlike traditional seawalls, Kind Designs panels incorporate biomimetic principles that create coral reefs and mangroves while embedded sensors monitor pH levels and temperature.

Though Kind Designs launched in June, the startup is already making waves. In six months, Freeman has opened the company’s warehouse, generated revenue, and plans to triple production capacity next year by purchasing two more printing robots. Her work so far has attracted high-profile clientele—she’s spearheading a pilot project on Richard Branson’s Necker Island and recently secured venture capital from investor and entrepreneur Mark Cuban.

Their support is a boon for Freeman, a Ukraine native who landed in Miami for law school but changed her career path after learning about the power of 3D-printing to address climate change. “I want you to go down Miami River or the canal or the beach and see living seawalls to the left and the right,” she told Refresh Miami. “When you look down, you see clear water that looks like an aquarium. We’re more confident than ever that this is something we can accomplish.”

In Their Own Words: “It’s a very exciting time to innovate,” Freeman says. “I strongly believe that Miami will become an example for the rest of the world, based on how we can address the challenges of climate change in a way that’s fantastic for the environment and the local economy.”

Surface Says: In these polarized times, let’s all agree to keep our oceans full of life.

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As the year draws to a close, visual arts incubator Creator Labs has released its eighth season of photography drops from 29 of the art world’s most promising image makers. A partnership between Google and creative agency SN37, the initiative provides funding and resources to each cohort as they create new work. This season the creators used the Google Pixel 8 Pro, whose Pro controls gave the artists unparalleled control over the device’s shutter speed and ISO.

Season eight’s body of work engages with cultural narratives spanning motherhood, migration, the LGBTQIA+ community, and beyond. This season also includes contributions from international artists —like South London portraitist Campbell Addy, fashion photographer Gabriel Moses (whose work is pictured above), Justin French and otherworldly image maker Furmaan Ahmed—in a first for the evolving incubator. Head to the Creator Labs hub to learn more.

Once home to 19th-century Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, the historic Grand Hotel et de Milan has been a fixture in Italy’s style capital for more than 150 years. Who better to write the next chapter in the grand dame’s legacy than local firm Dimorestudio? After giving the lobby and Gerry’s Bar a spruce in recent years, the designers lent their artistic touch to the restaurant Caruso Nuovo. In typical Dimore fashion, the renovation is a study in atmospheric design, featuring fine jacquard fabrics by Prelle, a historic French manufacturer known for Art Deco prints, lending a luxurious feel to the benches and walls, and oil-green walls complemented by warm burgundy stucco details.

The culinary program has undergone a refresh as well thanks to chef Gennaro Esposito and executive chef Francesco Potenza, who blend Neapolitan and Milanese influences for the new menu. Guests can enjoy it in the ornate indoor spaces or the winter garden, reminiscent of de Sica’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, with back-painted glass tops and wrought iron table bases inspired by the 1950s designs of Mathieu Matégot.

Last week, the London megawatt gallery commemorated the upcoming 10th anniversary of its Serpentine Americas Foundation with a brunch on the dreamy grounds of members club and restaurant Casa Tua. Bettina Korek, Hans Ulrich Obrist, and Serpentine Americas trustee Ted Vassilev hosted guests in honor of the anniversary. Attendees toasted mimosas to the occasion—a highlight of Miami Art Week—and were treated to a first look at Serpentine’s 2024 programming.

When was it? Dec. 5

Where was it? Casa Tua, Miami

Who was there? Tyler Mitchell, Hank Willis Thomas, Yinka Ilori, Julian Knxx, Kennedy Yanko, Marco Brambilla, Adriano Pedrosa, Foday Dumbuya, Dustin Yellin, Marc Spiegler, Phoebe Saatchi Yates, Kimberly Drew, and more.

When: Until Jan. 13

Where: Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles

What: “One of the reasons the Italians pulled me in [to the Memphis Group], and one of the reasons why I’m in California, is that fun is okay,” Peter Shire once told Surface. Playtime is certainly on the menu at the design icon’s latest outing, which fills Jeffrey Deitch’s gallery with works that explode modernist form into bursts of color and kinetic energy. Shire, who handcrafts most of his pieces in his Echo Park emporium, infuses subversive humor and playfulness into everything he touches, making his studio a living masterpiece that will come alive in the gallery.

When Perrier-Jouët tasked Fernando Laposse to reinterpret the maison’s Art Nouveau heritage at Design Miami, the Mexico-based designer crafted an immersive scene called The Pollination Dance paying tribute to the flower’s role in harmonious interactions between species. To prolong its impact, the maison also published A Song of Flowers, a book co-created by Laposse and Mardonio Carballo, one of Mexico’s leading Indigenous poets. The anthology features 50 poems in Nahuatl, a central Mexican language in which poetry is designated by a pair of metaphors—xochitl (flower) and cuicatl (song). Laposse’s illustrations embody the Nahuatl tradition of imagining poems as a bouquet of words to be sung to the sky. $50

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Flavor Paper is a Brooklyn-based wallpaper company that specializes in hand-screened and digitally printed designs. Flavor Paper is eco-friendly, using water-based inks and PVC-free materials when possible. All products are print-to-order for easy customization. Residential, commercial, and specialty products are available.

Surface Says: This studio’s colorful creations are a feast for the eyes, and sometimes even the nose. Their range of clever and often humorous designs includes Pop Art–inspired scratch-and-sniff options.

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