![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/07/dezeen_Vertical-Strip-Hanging-Tower-by-Stephan-Sobl_13.jpeg)
One year ago...
This time last year designers were going to extreme lengths to devise and manufacture their projects, as an architecture graduate proposed hanging a skyscraper upside-down over a river (above) and another designer created stools using explosions (below).
![Blast by Guy Mishaly Blast by Guy Mishaly](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/07/dezeen_BLAST-chairs-by-explosion_top2.jpg)
Each of Guy Mishaly's Blast stools was made by detonating a charge inside a steel blank, ripping legs out of the sides.
![The Solar Sinter by Markus Kayser The Solar Sinter by Markus Kayser](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/06/dezeen_The-Solar-Sinter-by-Markus-Kayser_15.jpg)
Meanwhile, German designer Markus Kayser took his manufacturing machines out into the Moroccan desert to create glass objects from sunlight and sand (above).
![In Situ by Julien Carretero In Situ by Julien Carretero](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/07/dezeen_In-Situ-by-Julien-Carretero_01.jpg)
Lastly, French designer Julien Carretero sourced timber excavated from Eindhoven’s medieval city walls to build a catapult (above) that could be used in an insurgency and architect Jeremy Barbour of Tacklebox built a kiosk for skincare brand Aesop by stacking, tearing and binding over 1000 copies of the New York Times (below).
![Aesop Grand Central Kiosk by Tacklebox Aesop Grand Central Kiosk by Tacklebox](http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/07/top7.jpg)
See all our stories from July 2011 »
See our review of last year »