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Minarc, a California-based architecture firm, has developed a remarkable sink made out of recycled rubber sourced from used tires. Named “RUBBiSH,” the smoothly molded appliance gives a useful and elegant new life to the waste material. Via:[PSFK]
Website:www.minarc.com/
Organic cotton fabrics are becoming increasingly common, but most are still used primarily for clothing. Aiming to bring eco-sensible supplies to the quilt and craft market, New Jersey-based Cloud9 Fabrics offers a line of organic cotton fabrics designed to give crafters modern style in a green-minded alternative.
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‘Glide’, a new glass object from designer Cathrine Maske, came to life after a bungee jump experience in Africa.
“One of my repeating dreams is that I take the leap, open my arms and fly over the scenery,” says Maske. “And four years ago my dream came true and I got to try bungee jumping from Africa’s highest bridge along Garden Route.”
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Two German scientists, Juergen Pfitzer and Helmut Naegele, have created a new material called Arboform which is a renewable plastic with wood-like qualities, yet can be formed into any shape. Arboform is made from lignin-a byproduct of the paper-making process. When combined with resins and flax, it forms a bio-plastic mass that looks and feels like wood and can be used to make several products such as furniture, toys, loudspeakers and even car interiors. Most significantly, Arboform is totally biodegradable and its raw material lignin is available in abundance, making it an environmentally friendly material that can potentially save significant natural resources. Via:[PSFK]
Website:www.tecnaro.de/
Image:Kaynemaile
Processes are an equally inspiring area for designers to explore. Here we list a few examples that have caught our eye lately.
Kaynemaile
The clue is in the name with this process – perhaps best described as an updated version of medieval chainmail body armour, Kaynemaile pulls off an impressive manufacturing ‘trick’ in that it makes it possible to produce a plastic mesh with no visible links or joints in a single step. In comparison to other plastic or metal meshes, it’s impossible to find any joints anywhere in the textile. Made from polycarbonate available in a wide range of colours, from opaque to translucent, Kaynemaile is suitable for all kinds of interior and lighting applications. To find out more, please visit the Kaynemaile website – www.kaynemaile.com
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Image:Mathias Bengtson’s Spun Bench, commissioned by Future City and St James Group. Image courtesy of the designer.
The idea of a composite is simple enough – take two or more materials and combine them in a new, super-material with much better properties than the ingredients on their own. It’s not a new idea – already thousands of years ago, mud and straw was combined to make adobe bricks. Since then, mud has been replaced with high-performance plastic resin and the straw with some super-strong, ultra-lightweight fibre, although natural plant-based fibres and resins are making a big comeback in the emerging field of bio-composites.
For the second year Foamalux was chosen as the cutting edge signage material used at the Restaurant and Bar Design Award ceremony to be held at Victoria House in London on the 22nd June. Foamalux, Foam PVC sheet has endless possibilities in the design of interiors, restaurant and bar outfitting, signage, contemporary displays, product design and fabrication, it cuts, bends and shapes successfully. Its versatility meant that all elements at the Awards ceremony could be made of or covered with Foamalux. This includes the networking pods, bar, entrance booth, cloak room, the awards and even the badges and drinks tokens.
www.brettmartin.co.uk/semifinished/foamalux/
www.restaurantandbardesignawards.com
Multi-sensory materials
As a designer, the first thing you are likely to notice about a material is its surface. But scratch the surface and you will find all kinds of interesting material properties underneath. Here we take a look at some interesting ‘multi-sensory’ materials that have caught our eye lately.
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