Innholdsfortegnelse for September - October 2022 i Frame

A renewable material and natural carbon sink, wood is increasingly being used to decrease the environmental impact of the construction and interior industries. But how viable is using the material to help meet sustainability goals as it becomes scarcer and more expensive? It is in high demand, and prices are soaring – even more since the EU recently banned Russian timber exports. There is no reason to assume that just because wood is renewable, it is sustainable per se. As wood is praised as an alternative to fossil-based materials, forests come ever more into focus for the defense they provide against climate change. This two-fold dynamic presents a dilemma that also affects the interior industry: Where is all the wood supposed to come from, and how can sustainable practices become…

The enterprise wearables market is expected to reach €31.1 million next year, part of an overall market projected to be €66.8 billion by 2025. In the office, fitness trackers are becoming a staple of corporate wellness programmes, linked with health insurance plans. PwC’s 2021 survey of 32,500 workers showed 44 per cent expressing willingness to use sensors and wearables to track productivity in ways their employers could access. As these devices get more sophisticated – measuring pulse rate, body temperature, sleep, posture and skin conductivity – they are helping us understand more about our emotional response to the work environment. ‘It would be helpful if we can gain a better understanding of the type of people that we are designing for, and their specific requirements,’ says Ron Bakker, PLP Architecture…

How do you see the role of technology in today’s design landscape? MATTEO LOGLIO: Technology has always been part of the design landscape. When machines made it possible to reproduce a design as a series, the designer became the mediator between humans and industrial manufacture, the one who could make the complexity of the industrial world human, fun and playful. Today we’re just talking about different technologies – digital products like the metaverse and AI that move in a different space in a different dimension. SIMONE REBAUDENGO: When people talk about technology, they make it seem like the developer is the one in control – the designer comes in before or after, either feeding ideas or painting on top of the result. But for us, it’s like a new material.…

As reported by Architecture 2030, a non-profit organization with a mission to rapidly transform the built environment from the major emitter of greenhouse gases into a central solution to the climate crisis, ‘global building floor area is expected to double by 2060’. To accommodate the largest wave of urban growth in human history, the company explains, ‘2.4 trillion ft2 (230 billion m2) of new floor area is expected to be added to the global building stock, the equivalent of adding an entire New York City to the world, every month, for 40 years. Achieving zero emissions from new construction will require energy efficient buildings that use no on-site fossil fuels and are 100 per cent powered by on-and/or off-site renewable energy.’ But apart from looking at new construction, it’s just…

The urgency of the climate crisis is highly publicized, often framed by facts and figures. As the authors of the latest climate report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) state: ‘Limiting warming to around 1.5°C requires global greenhouse gas emissions to peak before 2025 at the latest, and be reduced by 43% by 2030.’ Such data, although undoubtedly necessary in transmitting the need for critical action, can feel distant, impersonal and hard to grasp, let alone act upon. Research also indicates that the tone with which climate information is conveyed can potentially either paralyse or empower its audience. A study by P. Sol Hart and Lauren Feldman into the influence of climate change efficacy messages suggested that ‘news stories including positive internal efficacy information in particular have the…

As retail spaces become further integrated with, and defined by, the communities they serve, designers will need to consider how their stores can encourage sustainable behaviours among locals. Although eco-conscious retail design has been accelerating for years, and architects increasingly recognize that sustainable does not equal ‘toned-down’, there is an opportunity for brands to apply a reductionist approach to retail, one in which they aren’t just swapping selling for community organization and events, but using their spaces to promote the act of buying less. In the UK, 57 per cent of consumers consider themselves to be sustainable and ethical shoppers, according to a study by haircare brand WeDo Professional. ‘What would a retail space look like in the future where we focus less on consumption and more on reduction?’ asks…

PLEASE WAIT TO BE SEATED TUBBY TUBE LINEAR PENDANT Alongside an archival presentation of the brands’ past collaborations in Copenhagen, Toogood and Please Wait to be Seated previewed their latest Tubby Tube product, the Tubby Tube linear pendant lamp. Faye Toogood designed the suspended lamp’s body of hollow aluminium, which features internal illuminations and has built-in dimmers to allow the light to flexibly brighten a space. pleasewaittobeseated.com HELLE MARDAHL SWEET ILLUSION Helle Mardahl based its new Sweet Illusion collection on whimsical, fantastical tales like Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The collection of glass tableware and objects is hued in a candy-inspired colour palette and embodies a sense of playfulness. hellemardahl.com FINN JUHL ÅKANDE Meaning water lily in Danish, Åkande is also the name of a four-piece…

In many cities around the world, buildings are dictated by exhaustive regulations, strict laws and fixed square metreage. Statutory spatial strategies often outline how schemes should be designed and constructed. But, if architects and designers are forced to follow such strict requirements, do we still need them to design our spaces? Or could they simply be replaced by computer algorithms that generate architecture that meets governmental guidelines? An alternative, of course, is possible. In the future, designers may become ‘shepherds’ that bring together creative processes, while computer algorithms generate building layouts. Instead of replacing professionals, digital tools will help them meet specific parameters and quickly finish repetitive tasks. This will allow increased focus on the creative aspects of a project instead of losing large amounts of time working on complex…

‘We face a care emergency. Our systems of care were never designed to cope with the burden of socioeconomic and demographic changes that are striking society hard, and were doing so even before the pandemic hit,’ said The Care Lab’s Parameswaran. ‘We are an increasingly grey and frail society that despite living longer – anyone born in or after 2007 has a 50 per cent chance to live 100 years or more – is doing so feeling lonelier, more dispersed and disconnected from our families and communities than ever before.’ Her words express the urgency, and her company’s goal, to transform care into a more equitable and compassionate experience for all – from birth to death. Although initially painting a bleak picture, she and her partner Herczeg are optimistic, and…

As retailers increasingly become purveyors of everything and anything – from nightclubs to hotels and even impromptu sustainability schools – it’s only a matter of time before they morph into towns in their own right. If 68 per cent of the planet’s citizens live in cities by 2050, as per the UN’s predictions, we’re going to need to see real change in how our cities operate. As The Future Laboratory’s Equilibrium Cities report highlights: ‘Revealing stark inequalities between the lived experience of global citizens, the pandemic exposed issues of urban safety, public services, access to green spaces and the need for immediate change.’ What citizens are now demanding are more liveable, community-centric cities that have more in common with rural villages than sprawling metropolises. This smaller-is-better mindset is manifesting in…

01 DESIGN FOR SOCIAL CONNECTIONS Rather than simply retaining an empty space to facilitate pop-up events, use materials and furnishings that convey a feeling akin to that of a living room, allowing people to come together and use your space as they wish. 02 FOCUS ON DURABLE DESIGN No matter how far ahead you gaze, spaces will need to adapt to future generations and behaviours. Prioritize timeless design elements while leaving room for transient trends to thrive. 03 BRING NEIGHBOURS INTO THE CONVERSATION From the word go, neighbours should be feeding into the purpose of the space. Consider assigning a diverse range of ‘guest editors’ to curate different elements of the store, representing the needs and desires of the wider community. 04 PRIORITIZE SERVICES, NOT PRODUCTS With basic amenities such…

If children are the next to inherit our spaces, why aren’t their voices more amplified? While young people are an end-user group, their needs are often overlooked. Designers can help the next generation contribute to their locality by equipping them with the relevant skills. Workshops, programmes and built projects can involve students in creating inviting, inclusive and widely appreciated spaces. ‘In the UK, architecture is not taught in school, so many people grow up not understanding the built environment,’ says architect Fiona Macdonald. But her words ring true on a global scale, too. Since establishing social enterprise Matt+Fiona with Matt Springett in 2016, Macdonald has helped over 1,000 young people positively contribute to the built environment in their regions. By teaching architectural principles, the practice provides youths with the skillset…

Once upon a time, the future of retail was puppeteered by a group of C-suite executives calling the shots from towering head offices, metaphorically – and often literally – worlds away from their neighbourhood stores and the shoppers who sustained them. In other words, there was a great disconnect, with communities seen solely as consumers and shopfronts as sales points. But today, the tables are beginning to turn as retailers recognize the importance of building spaces that are human-centric as well as profit-centric. ‘It’s really important to see the customers as part of the ecosystem we want to build,’ explains Jenny Lee, Life at Home leader at Ikea. ‘We need to see consumers as co-creators and investors, not solely as end users.’ In a sector that still defines itself by…

In the lead-up to each issue, we challenge emerging designers to respond to the Frame Lab theme with a forward-looking concept. Periods of social distancing have reemphasized the importance of community and belonging. Within the retail industry this has reignited an appreciation for local brands and neigbourhood(-led) initiatives. How should retailers continue to respond to the consumer’s heightened desire for connectivity, while fostering a sense of togetherness and localizing their presence? And can commerce ultimately be placed in the hands of the communities it serves? We asked three creatives to share their ideas. Your project Common Ground unites commerce and community space. In what way? JB: My project seeks to appraise the value of existing wasteful and undervalued public spaces that intervene estate housing by proposing the ‘common-ing’ of shared…

SANCAL LINK Link’s sculptural form resembles two chain loops linked together to form a pouf. When designing the piece for Sancal, Raw Color sought to create a piece that appears as a piece of art when not in use. sancal.com PEDRALI REVA COCOON Reva Cocoon is a system of modular lounge seating designed by Patrick Jouin for Pedrali. As an evolution of the Reva Twist sofa, a previous collaboration between the brand and designer, the series comprises linear and corner elements in addition to chaise longues to provide agility in outdoor spaces. Handwoven backrests offer privacy while maintaining the open-air feeling of alfresco lounging. pedrali.com KRISKADECOR LUXE EDITION Kriskadecor presented two new product lines, Volume and Luxe Edition, at its Estudi{H}ac-designed stand at Salone del Mobile. Luxe Edition (pictured) can…