Michael Gainer, who had some experience dismantling barns in Massachusetts, and who was inspired by a meeting with David Bennink of RE-USE Consulting, promptly came up with Buffalo ReUse, a nonprofit organization offering its own “community-minded alternative to demolition.”

Michael is a designer and illustrator born and raised in Ontario, Canada. His company, MKN Design blends strategy, artfulness, and purpose into visual solutions that delight and engage. He currently resides living in the Great Lakes Region of Michigan. www.mkn-design.com/studio | www.instagram.com/mkn_design

Michael Sylvester is a writer who lives in both Los Angeles and an aisle seat, preferably in the exit row. On his pilgrimage to Dan Rockhill's Studio 804 in Lawrence, Kansas, to see its fabled prefab projects, he was feeling a bit self conscious being a Left Coast vegetarian in steak country. "In addition to their cool prefabs, there was a great vegan restaurant downtown. Who doesn't enjoy mixing good architecture with good food?" he says.

Michael Anastassiades launched his studio in 1994, seeking to explore culture and aesthetics in designing products, furniture, and environments. In each of his designs, Anastassiades attempts to provoke participation and dialogue. His objects are minimal, functional, and simple, while also full of life. His work is featured in permanent collections at the MoMA, Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Craft Council in London, FRAC Centre in Orleans, France, and the MAK in Vienna. Anastassiades has designed products for notable design teams, including FLOS, Lobmeyr, and Svenskt Tenn. He established his eponymous company Michael Anastassiades Ltd in 2007 to produce some of his signature pieces, including a lighting collection, furniture, jewelry, and tabletop objects. Anastassiades focuses on blending the timeless and eclectic in his product design, creating distinctive objects that endure over time.