In the video below, you can find what some of the other Youth Design Day in Japan participants think about the Japanese market taste concerning sustainable design.
They explain us why and how their design can be appreciated by the Japanese consumer.
The question is “How can you see your project in the Japanese market?”. Here are the answers by Christian Carlino, Dario Ivone and Monir Kazemian, Xijing XU, Tian WU and Yue LIU , Alessandro Azzolini, Clementina Chiarini and Nicolò Cellina, Vincenzo Sorrentino, Sara Vignoli, Alastair Brook, Jack Lehane, I Putu Wiraguna.
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Last week, we presented the first three projects IED Turin selected from its Transportation Design course to partecipate to our contest The Youth Design Day in Japan. Now, let’s find out the other two participating projects!
The first of the two is that by Manuel Negri, 21 years old. It’s name is K-scrambler. Below some words from his author:
“K-scrambler is a zero-emission electric motorvehicle that has been conceived with the concept of sustainability in it. K-scrambler can be defined as a supporter of a particular innovation, in the social sphere, which foresees a change in the way of conceiving a motor vehicle, whose sole purpose is that of making fun, even in a hypothetical situation of city traffic. But it is in the dirt road and in the most remote places that its true captivating spirit is freed.
It is conceived when the problems of the planet become unsustainable, and one of these is the climate pollution caused by the emissions of diesel and petrol engines. It allows you to reach other unimaginable destinations to reach for such a segment and at the same time to preserve the surrounding environment.
It is developed to conceive it on a global level, and with the possibility of becoming part of a possible Japanese market, as it is linked to the concept of Keicar, a protagonist of the Japanese market between the 60s and 70s. The goal of this vehicle was to entertain the driver even in city traffic situations.”
Manuel NegriK-scrambler
The second of the two is by Tommaso Lorenzini, 22 years old. (U) Pilen is the name of his project. Let’s find out what he told us about his work:
“My concept comes from the idea of saving materials and industrial assembly processes. Inspired by the meccano, the frame is made up of panels that can be laser cut, which are fixed with 3 load-bearing pins and join; battery, motor, mechanical components and hull. The customization of the vehicle already in series, relaunches a lot the value and the concept of uniqueness, despite, this product is born from a minimal industrial process which wants to reduce the use of material and the number of processing steps.
I projected a vehicle that is dynamic even in its internal parts, in facts, I created a frame that is adaptable to the needs of consumer with small variations in the canvas. These variations are very simple to make thanks to the industrial influence in the design approach.
My vehicle id designed for young market, looking for an accessible entertainment. It is inspired by Meccano, a game of the past, with screws and bolts allowing to assemble various pieces of metal to create constructions. The pieces that formed these constructions were very light, and individually devoid of aesthetics.”
Tommaso Lorenzini(U)Pilen
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A few days ago, we had the pleasure to interview Chiara Ferella Falda, Director of Communication and Special Projects Manager of Superstudio Group. Since many years, it has been presenting itself to the city of Milan as a great centre whose aim is to meet the needs of the city by representing an alternative to the Milan Fair and hosting art and fair exhibitions. We asked her some questions about her point of view on the Sustainability themein the Design field and below you can find the complete interview we had with her.
SUPERDESIGN SHOW @ Superstudio Più
SOYC: “At Superstudio you organize Superdesign Show, the great international event dedicated to furnishing and the latest design trends. Then, we wanted to know what you think about the link between Design and Japan. Do you think design is an element of inspiration in the Japanese market?”
Dr. Ferella Falda: “I think that in Japan everything is Design in the true sense of the word. There is a maniacal attention to detail, form, functionality, aesthetics. Nature and tradition wisely blend with technology, rigor with a playful aspect, and poetry with irony…
The Japanese designers are expected and acclaimed during the Milan Design Week, the most important in the world. At the Superstudio, visitors also made three hours of queue to enter Nendo. And then Kengo Kuma: spectacular is his giant origami installation that absorbs pollution. And then the retrospective dedicated to the great Shiro Kuramata, or the transparent piano that played by itself by Kawai. They were the real attractions of our Superdesign Show 2018. But, next to the Japanese superstar, there were also less famous but very talented young people: Yoy (keep an eye on them, we’ll hear a lot about them…), Budbrand, Yokohama Makers Village, Japan Design Week…
NendoDassault, Kengo Kuma
On the one hand, I believe that Japan has acquired a new awareness of its importance and influence on the international market, on the other it has become increasingly able to exploit “Design” as means of communication and not only as a result of a process. The success of the mega installations of technology companies such as Panasonic, Citizen, Toshiba, Sony, Lexus and Fuorisalone demonstrate how design has increasingly become a powerful communication tool, even for consumers, beyond the commercial product to be sold.”
SOYC: “What is your opinion about “Design and Planet – Sustainability Projections”, theme of our contest TheYouth Design Day in Japan, which aim is to combine design and attention to the sustainability needs of the planet?”
Dr. Ferella Falda: “I think it’s a great opportunity of exchange between Asia and Europe, and a special showcase for young Italian talents. I really appreciate how the theme of sustainability has been approached by the contest. The word “green” became almost an empty concept a few years ago: everything was eco, everything was sustainable, everything was cruelty free, but often this attention reflected only a new trend… It is a little like it happens today with the “vegan” phenomenon. The time to tackle the topic urgently and rigorously has come: there is no more time for us and the planet.
Your callgoes in this direction. It mentions in detail low energy and water use, saving of harmful emissions, eco-sustainable housing and architectural solutions, innovative urban furniture, recycling and use of waste, bio-based materials, clean and renewable energy, biodegradable packaging, etc. A very serious and articulated approach.”
SOYC: “According to you, what is the direction design will take in relation to the Sustainability element?”
Dr. Ferella Falda: “We are already witnessing the banning of certain materials such as plastic. Before we recycled it, now in many areas it will be forbidden to produce it and use it. I believe that the gravity of the situation involves forced radical choices. It is a world emergency. Design will have to accept the challenge and propose more and more radical solutions that are also aesthetically pleasing and functional, at acceptable costs. Nanotechnologies are certainly one of the most interesting solutions to obtain new materials capable of purifying the air and I was also very impressed by the study of bacteria able to “digest” the polluting substances… The time for half-measures is over, now we have to really act.”
SOYC: “Is it possible that in the future there will be meeting points and synergies between Superstudio and Switch On Your Creativity?”
Dr. Ferella Falda: “Superstudio has always followed new paths not beaten by others. It has been the pioneer of the Fuorisalone phenomenon since 2000. Even earlier, in the 80s, his engine has transformed a peripheral industrial area in today’s famous Tortona area. Asia (Japan in particular, but also Korea, China, Taiwan and Thailand) has always loved Superstudio. Every year we have many requests from companies or designers who want to present their projects here at Superdesign, because they know they can find an iconic place that enhances them and communicates them with professionalism worldwide.
Every new challenge, every creative project that is also innovative, research based, and that values new talents, stimulates us a lot. Therefore, it definitely exists a point of encounter and mutual interest with “Switch on Your Creativity.“
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IED Turin, that was the only Design Academy which tookpart to Fuori Salone with some of its students, decided to reply to our call for TheYouth Design Day in Japan. IED Turin proposed to us some of its Transportation Design students to participate to our contest.
As illustrated on the IED Turin webpage about Transportation Design class, the aim of the course is that to form Transportation Designers: “The Transportation Designer is able to reconcile aspects of style, technique, aerodynamics, production feasibility and ergonomics. This kind of designer must have a profound understanding of the product and the functions that the consumer is looking for, so as to be able to have a clear idea about the relationship between design and marketing, innovation and commercial requirements along with the social trend and the economic background in which he is operating.”
We selected five students with this profile and soon we are presenting their projects, that will be then exhibited by November at the Italian Cultural Institute in Osaka, Japan. The five students are:
Emanuele Tommassorri
Manuel Negri
Matteo Prola
Mirko Pocobello
Tommaso Lorenzini
Their projects concern Sustainable Mobility and are conceived for important brands like Ferrari, Honda and Maserati between the others. Moreover, the projects they propose are bike-projects, which is an innovative aspect for these car traditional brands.
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The guidelines for sustainable development that come from the European Union, based in Brussels, are countless. Probably one day we will be able to say we live on a completely sustainable and green planet, and the circular economy will be present in more and more aspects of our everyday life. The road to reach such an objective is still long, but we are confident. In the meantime, here are the 4 fields in which sustainability is not only a virtuous goal, but also a trend element:
1. Architecture
Sustainable architecture designs and creates buildings to limit environmental impact, placing itself as design purposes energy efficiency, improvement of health, comfort and quality of use of the inhabitants, reachable through integration in the building of structures and appropriate technologies. Sustainability in architecture is not just synonymous with energy savings or reduced consumption. The winning card of an architectural or urban project is not only in the choices that make it ecological, but also in what defines the behaviors that the inhabitants of the building or the neighborhood must follow in order to live reducing waste and energy consumption to a minimum, not only within the district, but throughout the city.
2. Nutrition
To respond to the nutritional needs of an increasingly rich and urbanized planet, with a growing population, and to preserve natural and productive resources, food systems must undergo radical transformations towards greater efficiency in the use of resources. Sustainable diets must include the consumption of water-based foods, low carbon and nitrogen footprints, promoting food biodiversity, including traditional and local foods. Those diets have a low environmental impact and contribute to food security and a healthy lifestyle for current and future generations.
A sustainable diet respects biodiversity and ecosystems, is nutritionally adequate and efficiently uses natural and human resources. Its many benefits are linked to the composition of its foods characteristics, mainly of plant origin (fruit, vegetables, legumes and cereals), and to their diversified and balanced consumption. A sustainable diet does not generate long-term negative effects on health, the environment, society and the economy. The Mediterranean diet is a model of sustainable diet, indeed it is one of the most sustainable dietary models for the environment and health, as confirmed by numerous scientific evidence.
3. Marketing
According to Nielsen, a prestigious research institute worldwide, consumers around the world are increasingly favoring purchases from those brands that are committed to positive social and environmental change. In marketing, the packagingsector is evolving precisely to respond to this scenario. With the evolution of product packaging, the variety of parcels and packages that find their way into the flow of waste collection has increased. This gradual convergence is also contributing to the growth and diffusion of renewable materials from sustainable sources, a market trend that is confirmed by the growing use of biological and biodegradable plastics and of cardboard coming from certified forests.
4. Events
App and digital technologies have already drastically reduced paper consumption before and during events. Hybrid events will increase in the next few years, and remote participation will not only allow to broaden the audience of events but also to reduce their environmental impact. Collaborative consumption and sharing economy will cut out a growing role in organizing events, allowing to optimize costs and resources. In the next few years progress will be made in reducing waste generated by events, as well as in the separate collection of waste. The organizers will be more inclined to integrate the principles of sustainability into the initial concept of the event, and more careful to use stand materials that can be reused or recycled. Old materials will be archived and new ecological materials will be established on the market. Food waste will not be reduced, but action will be taken on the donation of excess food to charitable organizations or food banks.
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Jeon Sang IL is a South-Korean 30 years old designer whowants to help solving the disposal problem by creating some new straws and spoons which can be used in different kind of meals like breakfast, or lunch and dinner. In this way, we can reduce the pollution made by disposing lot of plastic cutlery.
This is what he told us about his design and its sustainability.
SOYC: “Can you explain us your project and in which way it can be considered sustainable?”
Jeon: “I designed a waste disposable product making the frame of a straw triangular: in this way the straw is stronger and can be used instead of ordinary disposable chopsticks. Not only the straw: I also designed a spoon making its head bigger in order to be used not only for yogurt but for the entire meal. This progressive disposable product can be used to reduce the number of disposable items that are often wasted.”
SOYC: “What did inspire you?”
Jeon: “My inspiration came from the concept of recycling: is it good as we think? Of course recycling is better than wasting but the process of re-making goods with the one we recycled cause a lot of pollution. Designing multi-use disposable items we hope to reduce the multitude of disposable goods and decrease the amount of waste (even if is recyclable waste).”
SOYC: “Where did the idea of your project takes its origin and why?”
Jeon: “Since 2012, I have been interested in new concept of sustainable and minimalist straw. I was very curious about it. I don’t know why. I think that straw are very interesting object to design. Moreover, My idea of design is related to make things useful in ordinary life, making it more sustainable. Hence, I thought that straw was a perfect object”
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Daniel Skoták and Patrik Rešl are two Czech design students who created a refillable bottle made of bamboo which we can always be brought with us. Here the interview we had with them and what they explained us about their project.
SOYC: “Guys, can you please talk about your project and its sustainability?”
Daniel: “Our project is a refillable drinks bottle made of bamboo, designed for portability and reusability. We have chosen bamboo as our material as it is renewable, sustainable, and carbon neutral. However, the nature of the material is that it will eventually become warped by the presence of the liquid inside. In order to combat this, our design features a two-part outer layer, made of stainless steel, that is kept by the owner. This outer layer is fitted on top of the bamboo inner layer, which is affordably replaceable.”
SOYC: “Where does the idea of your bottle take its origin?”
Patrik: “The project was born of a conversation between two team members, regarding the unsustainable modern world. Disposable products are increasingly made of plastic and other unsustainable hydrocarbon based materials, which play a large part in polluting our oceans. Plastic as a material is not degradable, which results in plastic microbes entering the ecology of our oceans. This affects marine life, which eventually impacts people.”
SOYC: “Why did you decide to use bamboo to create your bottle?”
Daniel: “Bamboo was chosen as the material because it is fast-growing, which lessens the negative impact on its environment. It is also carbon-neutral, because it absorbs carbon dioxide while it grows. We want to support and join the ever-growing movement of sustainable design, as this is an element of products that consumers are increasingly looking for.”
SOYC: “Ok thank you guys. One last question: What did inspire your idea?”
Patrik: “This project was inspired by the use of bamboo as a traditional construction material in Japanese and other East Asian cultures. We were inspired by wanting to have a positive impact on the planet.”
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Alessandro Azzolini is a young Italian Architectural Design student at Politecnico di Milano. He designed a lounge chair which is completely made of recycled cardboards.
Here the interview we had with him!
SOYC: “Alessandro, can you talk about your project and its sustainability dimension?”
Alessandro: “My project consists of a lounge chair completely made of regenerated corrugated cardboard sheets that are laser-cut and assembled together with interlocking joints. Carboard is a very eco-sustainable material since it comes from renewable sources and can be recycled. The interlocking joints make the structure stable and allow to completely avoid the use of glue in a way to keep the 100% recyclability. It can be assembled in a quick way directly by the final user and it can be easily disassembled and stored flat in a way that occupies the least amount of space.”
SOYC: “Why did you decide to design your chair?”
Alessandro: “Because it is very economical since it uses waste material that can be obtained for free and because overall the chair has a very low environmental impact.
The choice of material and the easiness of (dis)assembly make this product perfect as a temporary furniture. When the chair’s lifecycle has ended, either because it has been damaged or the user wants to change it (since the contemporary world is very fast in consumption), the cardboard can just be thrown into the paper trash bin without problems and without worrying about the impact on our planet resources (since the reused cardboard of the chair would in any case have headed to the paper waste).”
SOYC: “What did inspire your design concept?”
Alessandro: “The design takes inspiration on one side from the shape of those ergonomic plastic seating that are meant to maximise comfort and on the other side from the metal grid-structure chairs, which I was sceptical about but after testing them in my life I realised they were comfortable indeed. The seating shape is lofted to form a circle, that in the base forms an elliptical footprint.
The chair components can be made out of 16 sheets of cardboard measuring 1x2m or either from 34 sheets of 1×1,2m. The dimension of sheets used is flexible and the number of sheets depends on it.”
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Emanuele Matteucci, Giovanni Silvestri and Michele Tunzi are three Design of the Industrial Product students in Bologna, Italy. They created Akabei, a metal stool starting from one single scrap of metal found as a reject in a mechanical workshop. This is where the sustainability of their project stands. Here the short interview we had with them!
SOYC: “Can you talk us about your design project and its sustainability?”
Students: “Our stool, Akabei, is truly sustainable for many aspects. It is made from a single rectangular sheet of inox steel of only 2 millimetres in thickness. We need only two machineries to produce it: one for cutting the sheet and the other one for bending it. This way we save resources both on material, because there is no waste, and on industrial treatments.
Furthermore, we built Akabei starting from a scrap of metal found as a reject in a mechanical workshop therefore we can say that it is 100% recycled from other processes’ waste. Akabei is built to resist, it is nearly indestructible and it is perfectly safe: it can bear more than 200 kilograms without losing its shape so it is clearly not a single-use product at all.”
SOYC: “Why do you choose metal as your project’s material?”
Students: “We wanted to revalue metal as a material to sit on. We made it comfortable and relaxing by making it wave slightly when someone sit on it and light as it weighs just as the other wooden chairs in commerce. The metal plate bends a bit in the middle to adapt itself to the person who is sittingon and the absence of a backrest guarantees a correct posture. Moreover, the characteristic saddle form will cause no tingling if someone decides to sit for a long period.”
SOYC: “What did inspire you?”
Students: “For the name, we took inspiration from Pacman’s ghost, as our stool’s form reminded us of its shape. Moreover, by looking at it from the front view, it seems invisible just like a ghost. For the shape and functionality, we took inspiration from the swings found at the park and from the work of Ron Arad.”
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SWITCH ON YOUR CREATIVITY 