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Our relationship with our homes changed in 2020 when the pandemic known as Covid-19 led to enforced periods of self-isolation, called 'lockdown'. We got toknow our living spaces intimately and learned the greatest risk of infection was indoors through the breath we shared in poorly ventilated spaces, where microbial atmospheres could work their way inside, through every door, window and with every visitor. Our fear of such invisible threats will persist long after the pandemic ends and reflects a growing divide between the human and the microbial realm. This book examines the notion of the home in the context of the pandemic and lockdown, as they relate to environmental concerns and how we live with viruses and bacteria. It argues that, in order to decrease our vulnerability to infective agents, we need to acknowledge the link between people, space, daily routines and microbes and explore how the predominantly benign microbial world might be harnessed to combat and boost our immunity to future pathogens. Suggesting more than environmental home improvements, it explores new innovations and new materials which incorporate microbes for more ecological designs, such as ceramic tiles, concrete bio-receptive surfaces, building skins, fabrics, waste management and alternative energy supplies. A series of drawingswhich reveal the evolution of microbial technologies, infrastructures, spaces,dwellings, and architectures sets out a prototype for an ecological home forpost pandemic times. Identifying the lessons that COVID-19 has brought us, the book highlights the need for humans to consider and take microbes into account in future built environments.

The changing realities of our time - especially the unprecedented situation in 2020 - calls for leadership that moves beyond outdated models or frameworks that are driven by the tired rhetoric of management, business or patriarchal notions of commandment. There is a need for new forms of leadership that are more empathetic and expansive, conversational and communal, and above all, creative. This informative and accessible book examines whether designers can actually be leaders and, if so, whether they can be better leaders because of their creative capability. It then examines how the tools of design, particularly in its most human-centred and collaborative form, might actually hold the key for the next generation of leadership. Creative leadership is based on three values that give everyone leadership potential: creativity, clarity and empathy. Creativity is a universal ability to develop solutions that positively impact ourselves and others; empathy is the hallmark of a 21st century leader; and clarity is the missing link in aligning vision, direction, and communication. Whilst the term 'Creative Leadership' has existed on the sidelines for decades, the articulation of it in this book is unique. The ideas grew from the author's experience in leading over 100 design projects with government, business and the third sector - from small, medium enterprises, to large multinationals. They have been tested out internationally through workshops and research conducted with individuals and organisations.