The world of smart home technology is rapidly changing. We'll call upon the greatest minds in the industry—and draw on what we learned at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show—to sort out what will become integral to the 21st-century home. For more information on Dwell on Design, visit our Onstage schedule.

A poster for an architectural lecture series.

A watercolor by architect Steven Holl was an early step toward translating an obscure musical score by István Anhalt into a new home and gallery in Seoul, South Korea

Cool Spaces Speaks with Steven Holl With Cool Spaces, a new public television series that profiles the process and personalities behind contemporary public architecture, Chung takes viewers behind the scenes at spaces like the the Seattle Public Library and the Barnes Foundation, while analyzing the work of masters such as Koolhaas with a more approachable, yet investigative tone. It’s all a means to help educate the public about the importance of public spaces. “We as architects weren’t communicating why it was important,” he says. “I was going to write a white paper, and thought, who’s going to read that? I sort of said I’ll do a TV show on a lark.”

The geometry of the spherical intersections becomes apparent at the entry porch, where an orb of wood welcomes visitors.

Current Table The project grew from designer Marjan van Aubel's previous work on The Energy Collection, a cabinet with solar cell tableware, itself born out of in-depth research into the properties of color. Van Aubel collaborated with Michael Graetzel and Solaronix to develop applications for their dye-sensitized solar cells, technology that has been around for a few years, but is just starting to be fully utilized.

Campbell Sports Center (Steven Holl Architects) A reflective, expressive sports center on Manhattan's northernmost tip, Steven Holl's angular structure for Columbia University handily owns the streetscape, putting the dour elevated subway tracks nearby to shame.

Current Table “The future possibilities are endless,” says van Aubel, “from entire libraries, restaurants and meeting rooms. They could all be furnished with these surfaces, allowing people to charge their phones during a meeting or dinner. Utility and aesthetics are combined via the use of solar energy in everyday objects.”

Current Table Utilizing a dye-sensitised solar cell, which absorbs light in a fashion similar to chlorophyll in a plant, the Current Table generates energy that can charge devices and appliances through a series of USB ports. What makes the Current so futuristic is it’s ability to generate an electrical current from indoor light, not just sunlight, so it literally harvests energy indoors.

Current Table Right now, the table has four batteries per USB port and they can take about eight hours to fully charge, depending on the light strength in the room -- it would take a full day’s charge to replenish your iPhone battery. But the technology will only get better.

The home’s built-in technology includes speakers by Current Audio installed in the ceiling in Valentine’s room.

The Ex of In House by Steven Holl Architects

Ex of In House by Steven Holl Architects, Interior, Living

Their projects include the Steven Holl book 'Urbanisms: Working with Doubt.'

Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu of SO – IL speak to the crowd. Photo provided by The Architectural League of New York.

The Balancing Barn in Suffolk: On the edge of a nature reserve a few miles from the Suffolk coast, the MVRDV-designed Balancing Barn cantilevers over the surrounding meadow.

New interior finishes, furniture, and a guesthouse were part of the restoration/renovation of John Lautner's Chemosphere, a 1960s house that makes frequent cameos in film and television.

Iowa. The School of Art & Art History at the University of Iowa was designed by Steven Holl in 2006. Cantilevered over a pond, the structure nicely marries contemporary architecture and natural landscape.

Architect Steven Holl's library contains about 3,500 books and was manufactured by Knossos on a sketch and series of proportions by Holl himself.

In the 1980s, Steven Ehrlich was among the boundary-breaking architects who helped transform Venice from sleepy to modern. His own home, 700 Palms, received the 2009 AIA Housing Award and continues to transfix with its flexible and sustainable features. Photo by Grey Crawford.

At designjunction, New Works of Copenhagen displayed these candlesticks, which explore different concrete textures.

Choosing not to make a big to-do of itself, this cottage blends in with its surroundings. A wall of glass on one end allows a merger of the outdoors with the interiors, while white trim leaves the appearance of a snow-kissed façade year-round. Berlin, Germany. By Atelier st Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH from the book Rock the Shack, Copyright Gestalten 2013.

Transformer or beach hut? Positioned in a coastal erosion zone, this holiday retreat for a family of five is completely capable of being relocated. An oversized shutter allows for protection from the elements when not in use and opens to allow sun in during the winter or provide shade on hot summer days. Waikato, New Zealand. By Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects, from the book Rock the Shack, Copyright Gestalten 2013.

Works is being released in several editions: 1–100, signed, numbered, and covered in leather in a Micarta case ($6,000); 101–1,100, signed, numbered, and covered in linen ($1,000); and a smaller hardcover version ($70) available in 2013.

The ever-changing, lush wooded surroundings of Minnesota, such as those experienced at this 8,000-square-foot Type Variant House outside of Minneapolis designed by Coen and Partners, are right near the small town of New Richland.

Here's Steven Holl Architects' Loisium Hotel, 2003. Image: Lucas Wasserman.

Velma works a puzzle in front of a sofa from Ire.

The owners brought their Elmira Stove Works appliances, including the Model 1958/1959 refrigerator and the matching Model 1955 stove, into their new home. Custom cabinets and IKEA chairs provide an equally bright finish.

Claudy Jongstra kneels with a family cat in the yard behind her office and home, which she shares with her partner, Claudia Busson, and their two sons, Eabal and Jesk. Behind her is a small dinghy that the family uses to navigate the numerous irrigation canals that traverse the farmlands throughout Friesland. Despite its modest scale, Jongstra’s studio has worked on major collaborations with Hella Jongerius,Tord Boontje, Steven Holl, andRem Koolhaas, in addition tofashion design for Alexander van Slobbe and costume work for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

Holl designed seven rugs specifically for the home. The one in this room shows the building’s interplay of structure and water; the architect also designed the light fixture next to it.

Amidst the vintage furnishings—including pieces by Hans Olsen, Paul McCobb, and Hans Wegner—Stevens works an array of musical gear.

A Chilean home’s dramatic stained-pine exterior references local vernacular architecture.

A sleek galley kitchen packs function and style into a small space.

Brooklyn architect Tim Seggerman designed and built what he calls a “crafted jewel box”. Utilizing the petite space in his New York apartment Seggerman creates an enveloping cabin of blond woods.