"Taking the environmental conversation one step further was Alcova, which centered most of its multi-pronged programing on the question of materials in what was Milan Design’s Week’s second most visited destination. Aptly presented in derelict slaughterhouses overrun by nature and slated for demolition, the expansive showcase brought together a slew of research-based talents testing out new approaches to production. While Bratislava-based Crafting Plastics teamed up with DumoLab at the University of Pennsylvania to engineer SENSBIOM II—suspended mobiles formed out biopolymer latices that reflects solar rays—Denmark’s NaturalMaterialsStudio revealed how upcycled Brick powder could be harnessed in tensile fabric."