Nike debuts a design-forward Air Lab in Milan, the ultra-wealthy pull back on art buying, and a sound-healing dome redefines wellness. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Nike opens Milan Air Lab
Nike Air Lab in Milan; photo courtesy of Nike
Amid a flurry of pop-ups and temporary installations for Milan Design Week, Nike planted a permanent flag in the Italian cultural mecca with a new laboratory. Dezeen reports that the new Air Lab opens as part of the architecture and design hub Dropcity and will feature distinctive technology available for use beginning in the fall. Thermoforming machines and pneumatic cylinder kits will be used to develop prototypes for building elements, furniture, and other industrial products. Conceived as a civic facility accessible to the public, as well as designers and architects, Dropcity hosts a range of other facilities including robotics, 3D printing, textiles, ceramics, and more.
The ultra-wealthy are spending—just not on art
The super rich are more interested in superyachts like the Benetti Asani, than art; photo courtesy of Benetti Asani.
The rich are still getting richer, but it appears their taste is as stagnant as art sales. Alongside booming businesses catering to the superrich, The Wall Street Journal reports that global art sales only rose 4 percent in 2025 based on metrics from Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report. Meanwhile, last year saw global private jet deliveries reaching their highest level in 15 years. Flaccid art sales are puzzling experts, especially as the S&P 500 continues to trade near record highs. Some experts posit that the art market may have grown too dependent on baby boomer collectors now past their peak buying years. Moreover, today’s serious collectors may be more selective, resulting in buzzy bids for trophy paintings but yielding little impact on overall demand. If any billionaires are looking to hire a personal art shopper, I am available!
A.R. Rahman unveils world’s largest sound-healing dome
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Bollywood composer extraordinaire A.R. Rahman (for Westerners, he won an Oscar for the “Slumdog Millionaire” soundtrack) is in his wellness era. The musical maestro has partnered with Indian classical ensemble JHALAA on the development of an immersive new sonic experience. Housed inside the world’s largest sound-healing dome, Sonorium is designed to channel sound frequencies that support deep physical and emotional restoration, AD Pro reports. The space debuts as part of the Calicut, India healing sanctuary tulåh Clinical Wellness. Believe it or not, completing the project took nearly two decades of extensive acoustic simulations, material testing, and iterative design. A sevenfold inner structure yielded its own geometric challenges as well.
The Wiyot Tribe is returning to native land and making it more affordable
The Laqilh Hou Daqh (Where the Elders Are) Housing Development is underway in Eureka, which will provide 52 affordable housing units for seniors; photo courtesy of the Wiyot Tribe
After more than 150 years, Tuluwat Island is back in the hands of the Wiyot Tribe in Northern California. The work to regain their land began back in 1999 when tribe members banded together to purchase the island piece by piece. The return of indigenous communities to their native land is no small feat, but most of the time, Native people still can’t afford to live in returned land. That’s why the Wiyot people launched the first community land trust under tribal law in 2020. The nonprofit development corporation uses funds to acquire and manage land on behalf of constituents to create public amenities and housing. Hundreds of CLTs operate across the U.S. and, like the Wiyot Tribe, they are making indigenous land more affordable and more livable by reintroducing public green space and developing projects using regenerative economic principles. Learn more about this dynamic work from Dwell.
See you at HD Expo next week!
Desert Rock in Saudie Arabia, designed by Oppenheim Architecture and Studio Paolo Ferrari; photo courtesy of Oppenheim Architecture
The countdown is on for HD Expo 2026. If you still haven’t registered, don’t panic—there’s still time to join us at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for a week of exciting programs, products, and panels. Among fixtures like the HD Awards, Women in Design Awards Breakfast, and Owners Roundtable, a slew of new offerings are on the agenda next week as well. You definitely won’t want to miss designer Paolo Ferrari and architect Chad Oppenheim sharing the story behind Desert Rock in the Red Sea in the “Carved from Stone” panel on Tuesday, May 5th (also an HD Awards finalist in multiple categories) or a fireside chat with restaurateur and hotelier Sam Fox to close out the trade show on Thursday, May 7th. Register now!