d67 FUTURE THINKING
Pictured left to right: Andew Laidler; Peter Murray; Ehab Sayed; Rachel Armstrong; Leonne Cuppen; and Raphael Gielgen
T
he impact of biotechnology on the future development of materials, new ways of constructing
buildings, the negative impact of continuing as we are now on society and the environment, and the growing concern of how all this affects our lives were among the many varied avenues of discussion for an enlightening event addressing some of the biggest questions facing architects and designers over the years ahead.
Hosted by wood-based panel manufacturer EGGER at London’s Material Lab, the event boasted a stellar panel of experts, chaired by Peter Murray, Chairman of New London Architecture, and founder of Blueprint magazine.
Panel topics ranged from advocating an innovative approach to materials, the shift from industrial to ecological techniques, using robots and machines to make new things, creating
spaces for young people to develop ideas and new materials, and considering the biological systems that could revolutionise business and manufacturing practices.
Self-styled maverick Raphael Gielgen, Future of Work ‘trend scout’ for furniture brand Vitra, started with two questions to set the tone. He asked: “What do you have to do to stay relevant to your company in 10 years? And what does your company have to do to stay relevant in 10 years?”
From the discussions that ensued, it was clear that to a large extent, the answer depends on three actions: change; innovate; listen.
Panellist Rachel Armstrong, Professor of Experimental Architecture at Newcastle University, leads a hub for biotechnology in the built environment, part of an EU innovation project. She spoke passionately about taking responsibility for the environment around us and working with living organisms to create new products
and materials or to perform industrial tasks. Examples of this included using chemical reactions from urine to charge mobile phones at Glastonbury, bio-electricity created in a composting environment with microns turning waste into electrons, and the rise of bio-composites such as self-healing bio-concrete, where organisms are mixed into traditional material.
She said: “The question needs to be asked, do we really need industrial-level 230v electricity supplies in every home? Can we design homes with 12v supplies because, if we did, then actually we could power our homes with our waste.”
Such changes can perhaps only be enacted if the construction process stops to re-evaluate all aspects of current practice, questioning what is normal and why it has become so. “Design is no longer just for the human. What we’re seeing is an expanded notion of humanism in which the organisms we live alongside, the materials and the
environment that we live with, all become part of the sphere of care and value.”
“It changes the focus of design so that yes, it is still very much about designing for humans, but it is about more than just designing for humans. It is about the responsibilities we have to sustain the other things around us.”
This could involve looking at everyday products in a totally different way. For example, how could a chair be more than ‘just’ a chair? Armstrong points out that NASA are looking at ways in which the chair can harness energy from the person sitting in it – with obvious benefits for maximising power on a space craft, but with a potential for contributing to the energy-saving agenda a little closer to home perhaps.
She adds that the toilet could also take on a bigger role than just acting as a chute for waste, with a future that could see it play a part within a larger system of waste recycling within the home.
designer kitchen & bathroom
designerkbmag.co.uk
AUG 2019
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