The Magis showroom on the Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi will play host to the innovative designs of renowned design duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec; photo Patrick Tomei Neri for Brera Design District 2012

Looking, now more than ever, for ways of adding value to its products, there’s a renaissance of craft-based thinking within design manufacturing taking place. Where better to see this trend presented and discussed than in Milan’s leading design quarter, Brera, which has long been the cradle of artistic expression and craftsmanship? (by Simon Keane-Cowell)

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Download the Architonic Guide to Milan 2013 as a PDF here

Pioneers in LED lighting design, the Munich-based studio Ingo Maurer, headed up by the eponymous product designer, is constantly seeking new technological possibilities and formal typologies. Here, Axel Schmid’s ‘Jetzt’ lamp

Many hands make light work, goes the old saying. Many new LED producers also make the creative possibilities of working with such a fast-changing technology exciting, thanks to the proliferation of products they bring to the market. But, for lighting design manufacturers, an expansion of supplier choice brings with it a number of challenges. Architonic’s Simon Keane-Cowell sheds some light.

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‘One Good Emperor’ by Ben Alun-Jones

Using 3D scanning and remixing tools, Royal College of Art graduate Ben Alun-Jones has scanned the busts of five Roman emperors from the British Museum in London. The goal, blend the scans to create different mixes of One Good Emperor. “This project questions the notions of value and uniqueness in a world where any object can be scanned, sampled and reproduced, simply by recording the object on video.” says Alun-Jones. “Many of these classical busts were also reproductions and so the idea of the original can often be distorted.”

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‘DISCUS Evolution’ LED lighting system by EOOS Design for Zumtobel embraces minimal form for maximum effect, picking up a iF gold award in the lighting category

Three score old and in rude health: the iF design gold awards, handed out to a painstakingly selected, international cohort of companies at the recent Munich Creative Business Week for their outstanding products, is looking to the future. Lean, lithe and limber, iF, one of longest-established design awards schemes internationally, is showing little sign of slowing down. Indeed, with operations – beyond its HQ in Germany’s expo city of Hanover – in Taipei, Seoul, Istanbul, Curitiba and Zittau, this annual gong-laden showcase of the best in product design, packaging and communication design has long exceeded its original, post-war ‘Industrie Forum Design’ remit to become a truly ‘International Forum’ for design excellence. Architonic’s Simon Keane-Cowell presents some of the winners of this year’s iF International Forum Design Award and interviews Ralph Wiegmann, Managing Director, iF International Forum Design GmbH.

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Architonic Guide ISH Frankfurt 2013

ISH Frankfurt 2013, the launch pad for new products for environmentally friendly buildings, opens next Tuesday March 12, 2013, and our Architonic Guide is your indispensable trade-fair companion. The Architonic Guide allows you to find the best exhibitors quickly. Architonic’s selection is purely an editorial one and is limited to high-end manufacturers whose products are visually relevant to the design of buildings and spaces. It’s a guide by architects for architects. To help you prepare your visit to ISH 2013 our Architonic guide is now available for you to download as a PDF file using the link below. Printed copies will also be available free of charge at the stands of the selected exhibitors at the fair.

download the 2013 ISH Frankfurt Architonic Guide here (PDF)

‘LightBeton’ from Richter Furniertechnik

The biggest, the fastest, the smartest. When it comes to marketing-speak, there’s nothing like a superlative to liven things up. Best of Best – the annual exhibition held at imm cologne of the category winners from the Interior Innovation Award 2013, a scheme organised by the German Design Council and voted for by a jury of big names from the design industry – is no exaggeration, however. Architonic’s Simon Keane-Cowell rounds-up the winners of this year’s coveted Interior Innovation Award.

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Örnsbergsauktionen 2013: TILES by Fabien Capello

Stockholm Design Week 2013 was host to a number of events including Örnsbergsauktionen 2013, an auction of independent design and craft.

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Lightweeds/UMNH Salt Lake City – Wall display by Studio Simon Heijdens Ltd

Publisher Frame and design brand Moooi have announced the 10 finalists for 2013’s Frame Moooi Interior Design Award. This year, the organizers received 861 submissions from a total of 71 countries. Finalists were selected by juror Jana Scholze, Curator of Contemporary Furniture and Product Design at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. The selection process was anonymous: Scholze did not know the names or nationalities of the designs she reviewed.

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