LSN : News : Spain paves its way into the metaverse

This co-learning kitchen is tackling food poverty

Nourish Hub by RCKa, UK

London – Community kitchen Nourish Hub has opened in the London borough with the highest dependence on food banks. Marking the first permanent home for social impact charity UKHarvest, the space comprises a commercial kitchen, teaching kitchen and flexible area that can be used as a dining room, workspace, classroom or event venue.

Designed by architecture studio RCKa, Nourish Hub represents a transformation of a row of vacant shop units in Hammersmith, West London, an area with the highest dependence on food banks in the city. It intends to host children as well as adults, demonstrating how the food and drink co-working spaces we explored in Edible Incubators are evolving to aid co-learning in local communities, and bringing in more interactive elements. ‘We were really inspired by old-fashioned kitchens, which are very performative,’ explains Anthony Staples, project architect at RCKa. ‘Everything is on display, so when you go in, you feel like you want to touch and grab things.’

Nourish Hub is pointing to a future in which brands, communities and consumers will unite to build future-fit food systems that tackle food poverty.

Strategic opportunity

Growing austerity means that communities are looking to brands to support local initiatives. Retailers and other public-facing venues can take inspiration from this project and create opportunities for co-learning

CVS gives assistive furniture a new look

CVS Health by Michael Graves Design, US

Rhode Island – Expanding beyond the usual remit of the home health category, pharmacy company CVS Health is launching a collection of functional, yet elegant assistive items.

Partnering with up with Michael Graves Architecture & Design (MG&A), the items are designed to blend in with consumers’ furnishings instead of turning the home into a hospital. Starting at £30 ($40, €36), the line is functional, stylish and, crucially, affordable, and includes comfort grip canes, easy-fold travel walkers, convertible shower chairs and 3-in-1 comfort commodes.

The collaboration is the outcome of extensive research by CVS and MG&A into the areas where domestic medical equipment products were falling short. ‘By filling an unmet need for functional, but beautifully designed products, we aim to help improve the everyday lives of those who rely on these tools and who are seeking a more premium and customised market offering,’ explains Brenda Lord, vice-president of Store Brands, CVS Health.

CVS is re-imagining the possibilities of assistive products, proving that medical equipment does not have to be purely utilitarian and clinical. For more on how home products can place wellbeing front and centre, read Fulfilment Furnishings.

Strategic opportunity

With more people working from home than ever before, technology companies can team up with designers to develop a range of stylish ergonomic products that promote health

Spain paves its way into the metaverse

Spain – With the debut of Utoppion, Spain is exploring the role of a real estate in the fledgling metaverse. The concept, which connects friends in virtual surroundings, is launching 1,000 plots ranging from £1,673 ($2,209, €2,000) to £16,730 ($22,090, €20,000) which can be sold to residents.

Utoppion, like other virtual real estate companies, offers various types of modifiable terrain depending on price. The virtual land can also be used for a variety of purposes. Private investors, for example, may choose to build a home based on their personal preferences, while businesses may choose to recreate their businesses stroke for stroke in the virtual realm. In addition, Utoppion features two separate venues, Musichood and Sportsvilla, which are dedicated to music and sports events, respectively.

As the metaverse continues to gain prominence, Digital Twin Cities, online spaces that allow consumers to interact with realistic replicas of the built environment, are garnering renewed interest.

Uttopion, Spain

Strategic opportunity

How can your business take advantage of digital infrastructure to boost customisation and experimentation? Consider crowdsourcing ideas from consumers to create a virtual space that reflects their desires

Stat: Americans are losing interest in the news

The Show Has Been Cancelled by Loewe, in partnership with novelist Danielle Steel

While US citizens paid close attention to the national news amid the pandemic and political turmoil, this focus is not sustainable. Research from Gallup/Knight Foundation has found that Americans’ attention to national news is the lowest it has been in four years.

In December 2021, just a third of Americans (33%) said they pay a great deal of attention to national news. This marks a substantial drop from the 54% who said the same in November 2020. Meanwhile, interest in local and international news has remained unchanged. Such a decline in engagement can probably be relayed to a sense of bad news burnout, following the tumultuous years since the onset of Covid-19 and Donald Trump’s presidency.

Such figures reflect the continuing distrust, disconnection and disenfranchisement among citizens navigating a Dislocated World.

Strategic opportunity

Considering this disinterest – and perhaps distrust – in national news, brands have an opportunity to establish their own standpoints to help shape societal change