NATURAL THINKING |
|
|
|
| Features - Earth | |||
|
Top quality design is taking a swift turn into the green lane...Words by Hayley Lawrence(First published in Stranger 011 - August 2006) It's about time too. For every designed product leaves an environmental footprint - which is why designers in Cornwall are helping to make the future of green look seriously cool with their cutting-edge products that blow their less-sustainable market competitors out of the water. So at the second Cornwall Design Week being held in September, it's no surprise that sustainability issues within the world of design will be on the agenda. The shifting sands of sustainable design is a global movement, but since local designers SIXISIS swiped the Laurent-Perrier Design Talent Award in London recently, it's fair to surmise that Cornwall is at the leading edge of a changing nation. Using unseasoned Cornish timber from sustainable woods, the three genius lads at the helm of SIXISIS create unique furniture, sculpture and lampshades. Having rocked the world of interiors, they've proved that eco-design doesn't limit creativity or quality. "Sustainability should never be a constraint on design," the trio agreed. "What we create are highly-designed products that look like art, but they are very functional, comfortable and robust. We work directly with the foresters, use an energy efficient steam bending technique, and minimise the link between the trees growing in the forest to the piece of furniture ending up in the hands of the buyer."  Sixixis chair Working on real-life projects such as Eden's groundbreaking Waste Neutral programme has encouraged students to understand how re-designing the way we live is influencing the sorts of sustainable designs being manufactured. Eden's Sustainability Director, Chris Hines, divulged how simple his Waste Neutral concept really is: "Reduce, reuse and recycle. Then reinvest in an equal, or greater, weight of products made from recycled materials than the total weight of materials sent to landfill or for recycling." But what it results in is far more complex than the (already achieved) goal of becoming waste neutral. In effect, the demand for recyclable and compostable products has spurred on sustainable design solutions in every corner of the supply chain.  Ocean Green It seems Cornwall's boardsports industry isn't short of planet-preserving designers. At just 23, Jonny Taphouse of Driftwood Skateboards is rolling forward the next generation of dynamic skateboards with a sustainable edge. "The decks are made of the super-flex bamboo, the eco-grip from recycled glass, and there's recycled newspaper in the designs," Jonny explains. Having now found a supplier of a biodegradable plant-based resin, the next step is to replace glass fibre with hemp cloth. "We're just trying to use ecological and sustainable material wherever we can," he explains, echoing a theme that is tapping the shell of design on every scale - from boards to buildings.  Driftwood skateboard Changing our approach to architectural design has been a long time coming. And in an effort to turn the giant of the building industry on its unsustainable head, Penryn's Jubilee Wharf is a landmark development setting an environmental benchmark for the future of architecture. Its key features are high insulation levels, a wood pellet boiler, wind turbines, solar panels, and wind cowls for ventilation. Finishing touches include eco-emulsion, wool carpets, linseed and woodchip lino and low-flush toilets. Bringing environmental construction to the mainstream (all due credit to Bill Dunster architects) and flying the Carbon Neutral flag, this multi-functional building will house a community space, flats, a cafˇ, a nursery and craft workshops. Property developer Andrew Marston hopes that "this will be a model that can help to galvanise the idea of sustainable architecture."  Jubilee Wharf, Penryn Whilst people are starting to seek alternative materials in the building industry, Adam Weissman and his partner are using what is literally beneath our feet. Founders of Cob in Cornwall, Adam and Katy are about to start work on the country's first cob school, which is being built in Newquay. "Cob is made from straw, sand, water and clay - mostly sourced within a five-mile vicinity," Adam told me. "And it's not just its feather-light impact on the environment that makes it such a viable option - it lasts for hundreds of years and has outstanding thermal capabilities. Plus it's non-toxic, non-exhaustible and will literally 'return to the earth' at the end of its cycle." Another man flicking the environmental switch in a monstrous industry with the help of his good lady, is Matt Hocking of Leap Media. Every piece of design in the public eye leaves a planet-draining trail of chemicals, wastes, and emissions, and as Matt sees it, it is the designer who has the choice to take a sustainable approach. "That choice plays an enormous role in the wider decisions businesses make about the resources they use, the technologies they rely on, and the ideas they communicate," Matt has realised. And he's identified a broad spectrum of businesses that are clamouring to trim their mass consumption and sprinkle a little greenness. "On a basic level it might be about switching to recycled paper and vegetable-based inks, but that snowballs into educating clients to use good energy sources, ethical banking and pledge a more explicit message of environmental awareness." Leap is another company dressing sustainability in cool designs. "Cornwall is a potent place for change and ideas," Matt surmises. And as you turn the pages of our contribution towards the future of sustainable design, let's hope the changes we're making are potent enough to make the business of sustainable design more than a passing fad in the wider world. Cornwall Design Week, 4-8 September, UCF Woodlane Campus Amanda Webb, 01209 315619
|
|||
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
