Green materials inspire design in this special experimental exhibit. We challenged three inventive Canadian architects and fabricators to craft a sustainable floor-to-ceiling structure using a single material.
See behind the scenes in the IDS 09 Feature Exhibits video>>
ARCHITECT: BREGMAN + HAMANN ARCHITECTS
MATERIAL: CORIAN® BY DUPONT
Provided by: DUPONT
FABRICATOR: RJW ENTERPRISES
ARCHITECT: B+H is one of Canada's largest and longest established full service architectural practices. The firm brings renowned Canadian design, problemsolving and construction skills to large-scale, technically complex projects located around the world. The practice's focus on high-quality design and project delivery, with equal comfort in design leadership and collaboration, is rooted in a 55-year active legacy.
MATERIAL: Corian is a versatile design material, combining natural minerals and acrylic. Available in 140 colours, it can be bent into shapes to create warm exciting designs, through a process called thermoforming. With the smoothness of stone and the workability of wood, Corian’s design possibilities are endless.
SPACE: Vertebrae, is a kit of parts that allows the construction of scalable objects to modify the spaces they inhabit, either poetically or functionally. Bregmann’s piece, while sculptural in form, proposes areas to rest and sit while creating separate spaces within the floor. The Vertebrae are constructed of Dupont Corian in a variety of whites, some of which are embedded with lights, creating a soft diffuse glow that appears to emanate from within.
ARCHITECT:LEVITT GOODMAN ARCHITECTS
MATERIAL: CORK
Provided by JELINEK CORK GROUP
FABRICATOR: GREENBILT HOMES
ARCHITECT: Levitt Goodman Architects is an award-winning architecture firm with an intentionally diversified portfolio, who have been providing architectural services since 1989. Levitt Goodman Architects has a proven commitment to providing excellent buildings with a high degree of design expertise. They have received recognition for their architectural work in many forums such as receiving the prestigious Governor General's Medal of Excellence in Architecture, the 2001 Peter J. Marshall Municipal Innovation Award of Excellence and several DX Design Effectiveness Awards, CMHC Best Housing Practices Awards and Urban Institute “Brownie” Awards.
MATERIAL: A natural material and renewable resource from the outer bark of the cork tree which is lightweight, rot resistant, expandable, soft and buoyant. With its honeycomb structure and flexibility, it’s often used for flooring , fabric, wall coverings and even lamp shades. It's also known for its acoustical properties.
SPACE: Using cork to literally carve out space, Levitt Goodman Architects has “created a dialogue about the notion of excavation, peeling away and exposing the viewer to the heightened tactile, olfactory and auditory qualities inherent in the raw material”. The team’s goal: “To create a place of pause within the overwhelming sensory experience of the Interior Design Show.”
ARCHITECT: PLANT ARCHITECT
MATERIAL: PAPERSTONE
Provided by: SIP DISTRIBUTION INC.
FABRICATOR: JONG DESIGN GROUP
ARCHITECT: Founded in 1995, PLANT Architect is an interdisciplinary firm that branches into the domains of architecture, landscape, ecology, furniture, art, and graphic design. Synthesizing the insights and expertise of related disciplines, the practice responds to and embraces the increasing complexity of the world and the ambiguity of where landscape, built form, and design intersect. PLANT’s integrated approach fosters a collaborative spirit, a multi-layered design solution and enriches each project with a fine grain of detail.
MATERIAL: PaperStone is a versatile material made from compressed layers of recycled paper and eco-resins. Like paper, it’s smooth, unusually strong and monolithic, is easily patterned and can be cut precisely. Unlike paper it's water and fireresistant and has a variety of uses, from countertops to exterior wall cladding.
SPACE: PLANT is creating Paperstone Scissors, an environment of cut screens, inspired both by thin, precise Japanese shoji screens and paper dolls.
