Combine design, beauty, a lot of waste material and a fresh look at the old, and you get innovation that brings a smile to your face.

Some interesting additions have been made to the UK Pavilion's already spectacular Seed Cathedral at the Shanghai Expo.

There's finally an eco-friendly alternative to that classic garment that usually only gets worn once.

Yinka Shonibare's delicately crafted ship in a bottle is on public display in London and is bound to have children and adults fascinated.

It might look like something that belongs to a futuristic movie, but it may well become a symbol of Brazil’s commitment to a sustainability.

Johannesburg Transition, subtitled “Architecture and Society from 1950”, by Clive M Chipkin is a brilliant biography of Jozi.

The Synthetic Kingdom by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg considers how natural or unnatural life will be classified when life is built by humans.

Cellularity by James King explores the development of cell-like structures, or “chells” that mimic the features of biological cells.

The Gaia Corporation by J Paul Neeley explores the implications of synthetic biology by imagining the world in 2023.

We finally know why Dr J Craig Venter could not attend the 2010 Design Indaba Conference in person. Yesterday he announced his breakthrough.