Erik Hagman/Photographer Erik Hagman/©2015 Erik Hagman: www.erikhagm
The modular Better Shelter is made from recyclable plastic, comprises only 68 components, and can be assembled in as few as four hours.

Each structure is large enough to house a family of five, and includes a solar panel to power lights and charge devices. Since production started in 2015, 16,000 units have been delivered to countries around the world.
Samantha Cristoforetti/ESA/NASA
A team at the NASA Johnson Space Center and the IRPI LLC devised the Space Cup, which utilizes capillary forces and surface tension to replicate an earthly drinking experience aboard the International Space Station.
Barnbrook
David Bowie's parting gift for his adoring fans was not only beautiful to listen to, but also beautiful to look at. Barnbrook's Unicode Blackstar symbol adorned the album cover and marketing material.
Courtesy Max Wagenblass
Lumos, which its creators claim is the world's first smart bicycle helmet, flashes brake lights and turn signals when the wearer slows down.
Courtesy Juuke Schoorl
The OpenSurgery robotic surgeon concept combines 3D printing, laser-cutting technology and surgical equipment to provide a cheaper alternative to human surgical care.
Courtesy Design Museum
In a video, artist Yolanda Dominguez interviewed a group of eight-year-olds at a school in Madrid to get their thoughts on ad campaigns from the world's most famous fashion houses. Their answers, while often humorous, highlighted the disparity between how men and women are represented in fashion images.
Adidas
This shoe from Adidas and Parley is the first running shoe to use illegal deep-sea gillnets and recycled ocean plastic. Only 100 pairs were made.
Nic Lehoux
Bjarke Ingels' firm steered clear of Manhattan's traditional silhouettes, occupying a spot on the island's periphery with a sharp, scooped out structure.
TBWAMedia Arts Lab/Apple
Apple's advertising campaign, celebrating the quality of the iPhone camera, helped shift millions of handsets.
Hufton + Crow
The curvilinear Harbin Opera House was designed as an architectural extension of the Songhua River in Heilongjiang, China.
Brian Gartside
The text within the Drinkable Book provides lifesaving information about water issues, while its pages are made of germ-killing silver filter paper. One filter can purify 100 liters of water.
Iwan Baan
A university campus is meant to look like an artificial cliff face, and contains terraces reminiscent of Machu Picchu.
Biomega OKO
One of the lightest bikes in the world, the carbon-fiber OKO is a departure from the normal back-heavy electronic two-wheelers.
Barney Steel
The augmented reality conjured up by Marshmallow Laser Feast allows you to see through the eyes of forest animals and experience nature from a new perspective.
courtesy Fondazione Prada/Bas Princen
OMA transformed an early 20th-century distillery in Milan into a unusual complex featuring an exhibition pavilion, tower and cinema.
Iwan Baan
Keeping close to the style of the original power station's brickwork, architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron's extruded addition to the Tate Modern provides a multitude of open, well-lit spaces.
fuseproject
Yves Behar, Illgu Cha, Sarah Neurnberger, Steven Overman and Danielle Atkins are all nominated for their new take on a retro classic that includes dual analog and digital capabilities.
Design Museum Dharavi
The Design Museum Dharavi is a traveling exhibition space. Organizers move it around the city to promote design as a tool for social change and innovation.
Luke Bennett
Unmade is a London-based fashion start up creating bespoke knitwear you can edit online before purchasing.
Vidhi Mehta
Post/Biotics allows the public to test natural substances in the search for new antibiotics -- vital research for scientists confronted by increasingly resistant strains.
Gogoro
Luke's electric two-wheel scooter runs on swappable modular batteries, accessed via battery vending machines and charging points.
Fame Pictures
Magallanes found inspiration in Almadía's archives when drawing up his distinct covers, toying with the absurd but keeping it light with his use of bold primary colors.
CNN  — 

A flat-pack refugee shelter developed by Ikea and the United Nations has been named the best design of 2016.

02:18 - Source: CNN
Is this the world's craziest new skyscraper?

Awarded the Beazley Design of the Year award, presented by the Design Museum in London, the modular Better Shelter is made from recyclable plastic, comprises only 68 components, and can be assembled in as few as four hours.

Each structure is large enough to house a family of five, and includes a solar panel to power lights and charge devices. Since production started in 2015, 16,000 units have been delivered to countries around the world including Iraq, Djibouti, Greece and Niger, to be used as homes, temporary clinics and offices.

“Better Shelter tackles one of the defining issues of the moment: providing shelter in an exceptional situation whether caused by violence or disaster,” said juror Jana Scholze, an associate professor of curating contemporary design at Kingston University, in a statement.

Courtesy Märta Terne
Better Shelter units in Kara Tepe transit site in Lesbos, Greece in March 2016

“Providing not only a design, but secure manufacture as well as distribution makes this project relevant and even optimistic. It shows the power of design to respond to the conditions we are in and transform them.”

How to build a stylish home for less than $30,000 (hint: use cardboard)

The shelter triumphed over more eye-catching nominees, including an Adidas running shoe made of recycled plastic retrieved from the ocean; Grafton Architects’ Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología building in Lima, Peru, which won the 2016 RIBA International Prize; and Herzog & de Meuron’s new addition to London’s Tate Modern.

03:10 - Source: CNN
Why this industry could help save our future

This isn’t the first time that social impact has won out over glamour for the top prize.

Last year, a microchip-like device that can mimic the functions of human organs beat out Google’s self-driving car, Fondation Louis Vuitton’s Frank Gehry-designed museum, and a Star Wars-inspired runway collection by Rodarte, among other entries.

Artificial intelligence and off-grid living: Top designers imagine the year 2066

A coffee cup designed for use aboard spacecrafts, David Bowie’s “Blackstar” cover, and a smart bicycle helmet were among the other designs honored this year, winning their individual categories.

All nominated projects are on display at the Design Museum until February 19, 2017.