Materials, production processes and sustainability for everyday living at Milan Design Week 2021
Materially presents: Materials Village – Special Edition
from 4 to 10 september 2021
Superstudio Più – Milan
Missing a month to the next edition of Milan Design Week which this year presents itself in a very special guise: an edition of rebirth and change, which focuses on the theme of Living and its different spaces, shapes and materials.
During the past fifteen months, we have witnessed a radical change in our way of living. Houses became offices and schools, public areas became gyms and private transportations became places where people could enjoy some privacy, emphasizing a trend that for years saw airports turning into shopping malls and hotels into spas and galleries.
In this functional and expressive fluidity, materials again have a critical role in representing important factors, the essence and the tangibility, the solid side which can contribute to the virtuous transformation of daily objects.
These factors, together with sustainability, is what Materially wants to bring to the attention at the seventh edition of Materials Village that will be hosted at Superstudio Più in September from 4th to 10th.
Thus, in a collective of companies and start-ups it will be shown innovation, materials, productive processes and technologies aimed towards sustainability, optimization of performances and a circular economy.
Among these companies Foliae Surfaces focuses on the possibility of rethinking the use of natural raw materials in the production of materials for furniture and to propose sustainable alternatives: flexible and post-formable concrete coverings, that combine the concreteness of the covering with the elegance of the design; transparent and backlit panels enriched with warm and precious customizable prints; the play of colours and lights applied to the wall panels, which can be used as partition elements for open spaces but also as simple wall coverings.
Image curtesy of Foliae Surfaces
The ecological proposal of Hometreschic is expressed in the new collection of cement tiles resulting from research for a finishing technique that respects the environment.
Made by hand with a low environmental impact processing, they already have a protective treatment in the production phase that does not use chemicals.
Image curtesy of Hometreschic
Guided by the CYCLE OF GOODNESS® philosophy – no one prospers without rendering benefit to others – YKK aims to contribute to a sustainable society through its products – zippers, plastic hardware, hook and loop fasteners – and manufacturing operations: recycling friendly zippers and buttons; innovative technologies and processes that reduce the usage for water, electricity, and chemicals; sustainable zippers due to the recycled tape made from PET bottles and other post-consumer materials; zippers partially made with the by-product of sugar production which allows for a reduction in its petroleum usage and the associated C02 emissions.
Image curtesy of YKK
In addition, the initiatives co-financed by European funds, which see Materially participating as an active partner and promoter, are presented. Particular space is given to the Datemats project that focuses on knowledge transfer in designing for and with emerging materials and technologies (EM&Ts), and to the research and innovation project GRETE that develops innovative technologies and processes for the generation of truly sustainable man-made cellulosic fibres.
Moreover, in this Special Edition of Materials Village, the theme of ecological transition will be expressed through the exhibition “WastEnders”. This will be curated by the team of researchers at Materially and dedicated to startups and new businesses which develop innovative materials coming from agricultural, urban or industrial waste or utilize them for everyday objects.
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