Jennifer Hahn

Only two moves are needed to transform this children's seat into a rudimentary castle, in a project that has earned Irish furniture designer James Murphy one of the top prizes at London's annual New Designers showcase. In its most compact form, the Casul chair resembles a miniature throne rendered in plywood. But clever timber joints and kid-safe hinges allow the whole thing to unfold into an abstract impression of a castle, which children can use to construct different imaginary worlds.

On the heels of Rick Owens's fan-powered Adidas tracksuits blowing up at Paris Fashion Week, we've rounded up five examples of pneumatic outerwear that doubles as personal aircon. As climate change heralds ever more extreme weather, fashion designers are increasingly turning to air as a means of heating and cooling the body. Sometimes, that sees feather down replaced with air pockets for insulation.

Tiny built-in fans help to circulate air around the wearer of these inflatable Adidas jogging suits, unveiled by fashion designer Rick Owens as part of his Spring Summer 27 menswear show in Paris during the city's record-breaking heatwave. The ballooning jackets, shorts and full-body tracksuits are made from Tyvek – the same durable plastic used to make hazmat suits. Worn with ice vests underneath, they create what Owens describes as a "personal air conditioning system".