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«Next Nature interventions are less about offering technical fixes than about conducting cultural experiments that reframe the relationship between humans and nature. When incorporating biological and synthetic biology elements into architecture or products, it is essential to recognize the “agency of diverse forms of life” rather than relying on human-centered perspectives. Such frameworks are not only normative guidelines but also serve as a practical foundation for achieving “responsible coexistence” in next-generation design.»

Hokuto Ando
Designer and Co-Founder, WE+ Contemporary Design Studio, Japan.

IF Design Trend Report 2026, Published by iF International Fórum Design GmbH, April 28, 2026, p. 163.
Image: Refoam, WE+ Contemporary Design Studio, 2022. Refoam is a series of furniture pieces that attempts to reframe waste materials from Tokyo as vernacular materials and giving new value to styrofoam.