8 must-see installations at Milan Design Week 2018

New York City-based architecture and design firm Snarkitecture created this installation with quartz company Caesarstone in a Milanese administrative building. The installation draws inspiration from glaciers and other natural elements and incorporates steam, ice and water.

This installation by American artist Philip K. Smith III for COS is an example of one of the large-scale installations that can be seen in Milan in recent years. Set in the courtyard of a historic palazzo, visitors can interact with the piece or relax in the garden behind the courtyard.

This year, Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra presents an exhibition of classic and prototype furniture designs curated by Austrian designer Robert Stadler. The exhibition is set up in a former sports hall, La Pelota. It's one of the many historic spaces open to the public during design week.

Located outside the city center, this stunning modernist villa — once home to architect and industrial designer Osvaldo Borsani — is one of the homes design week fans are invited to tour. The opening of the villa is linked to an exhibition on the architect at the Triennale Museum, curated by British architect Norman Foster.

The intersection between high-tech and handcraft is a major theme of this year's design week, as designers increasingly collaborate with tech brands. Google design studio worked with trend forecaster Li Edelkoort to put on an exhibition in one of the city's most famous — and greenest — gallery spaces: Rossana Orlandi.

American architect and designer David Rockwell organized a full-service pop-up restaurant, complete with Grilled Cheese sandwiches. This ode to the American diner is held in part of a former train station that's typically unused.

For its 100th anniversary, Panasonic put up a "water-drop" pavilion, which holds purified air —supposedly the cleanest in Milan. It's a nod to their focus on air purification technology in the age of smog. The installation is held in the courtyard of the Pinacoteca art museum and open to the public.

This palace is the private home of the Crespi family who have lived in Milan for centuries. However, this week, it was open for attendees to an event put on by Instagram. The app company hosted a panel on design and technology featuring journalists and designers such as Yves Béhar to talk about the future of digital technology and design.