Out of the Woods: Adventures of 12 Hardwood Chairs by AHEC and RCA

The American Hardwood Export Council has collaborated with product design students at the Royal College of Art in London to create a stunning exhibition of hardwood chairs at the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the 2012 London Design Festival. The culmination of an eight month project that encompassed wood and chair making workshops, an introduction to Life Cycle Assessment and a rigorous design and making process. (more…)

Materials Council’s Ian Hunter and Brad Turner will give a talk at the upcoming ‘Neue Stoffwerke’ (New Materials) symposium

Newly launched creative materials consultancy Materials Council, co-founded by Architonic, will be speaking at a fascinating symposium at the Technische Universität Munich this month entitled ‘Neue Stoffwerke‘ (or New Materials). Taking place on Friday 19 October at the Vorhoelzer Forum of TU München and chaired by Professor Florian Musso of the architecture faculty, the event will address the creative potential and ecological effects of newly developed materials and manufacturing technologies, with a specific emphasis on the analysis of material properties and technical capabilities, and well as innovative applications. (more…)

‘Infinity Bench’ by Martino Gamper; photo by Petr Krejci

On the occasion of this year’s edition of the London Design Festival, Italian-born UK-based designer Martino Gamper has teamed up with the American Hardwood Export Council to create this 6-meters-long ‘Infinity Bench’. Composed of multiple slanting panels made of American red oak, soft maple, ash, yellow birch and tulipwood, ‘Infinity Bench’ was inspired by the Italian concept of autoprogettazione (translated as self‐made) and the design was on view at the John Madejski Gardens at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. (more…)

100 % Design 2012, as seen by Architonic

Everyone loves a comeback. And they seldom come any bigger in design terms than 100% Design, which, this year, under new management made a very clear statement of intent – to put the creativity and excitement back into this London Design Festival regular through a more considered, almost curated kind of approach to mounting a design trade show. More, please.

Architonic’s photo tour of 100% Design, London Design Festival 2012

‘Hexagon’ acoustic tiles by Form Us With Love for Träullit; photo by Jonas Lindström

The Stockholm-based award-winning design studio Form Us With Love have developed this collection of geometrical sound-absorbing wall panels for a small, family-owned company Träullit. Made from a natural, recyclable material composed of wood wool, cement and water, ‘Hexagon’ tiles have not only sound-absorbing qualities but are also moisture-regulating and heat-accumulating. Available in eight different colours, ‘Hexagon’ was recently presented as part of the ‘Young Sweden’ exhibition during the London Design Festival. Watch the FUWL designers apply their new sound absorbing wall panels in the video below: (more…)

‘Whiter than White’ exhibition by Materials Council; photo by Daf Photography

Yesterday saw the opening of the inaugural exhibition by Architonic’s new partner company, Materials Council, titled ‘Whiter than White‘. As described by Materials Council’s London-based founders Ian Hunter and Brad Turner, the show is: ‘an exploration of the pursuit of ‘whiteness’ in the built environment, showcasing a highly-curated selection of architectural materials and finishes.’ On view until Sunday (23 September) as part of the Super Brands London at the Old Truman Brewery, the visitors will get a chance to receive free advice or consultation on using materials in their projects. Make sure you don’t miss this inspiring and undoubtedly insightful show!

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Materials Council launches at the London Design Festival 2012

Architonic is proud to announce the launch of Materials Council – a new partner company in which it has a significant participation – at the London Design Festival, September 2012.The forces behind Materials Council are its founders, Ian Hunter and Brad Turner, former materials researchers at the renowned international architectural practice Foster + Partners, together with Architonic as founding partner.As a result, Materials Council combines the skills of design, materials applications and sustainability in architecture with expertise in digital technology in the fields of the internet, databases and mobile applications.

read more about Materials Council on Architonic

to the Materials Council website

First Prize – ‘The Optical Window’ by Smart Metropolitans, Poland

The wait is over! VIBIA, in cooperation with Architonic, are excited to announce the three winners of the CREA AWARDS 2012 edition. Creative minds from 40 different countries have participated in this contest, providing ideas for lighting applied to architecture and interior design.The main goal: to create inspiring and convincing photo collages of spaces illuminated using Vibia’s new modular lighting collections.The winners were selected on the basis of the conceptual interaction of the light setting with space, their creativity and the architectural and visual quality of the projects. The decision wasn’t easy for jury members Sevil Peach, Ulrike Brandi, Lars Krückeberg, Martin Gran, Francesc Rifé and Tobias Lutz. Congratulations to all participants for their creativity and thinking beyond conventional. And with that said, here are the winners: (more…)