BROWSE ASK NATURE Bio-inspiration website with cases on nature's smart solutions » www.asknature.org
FEATURED DESIGN
ECOLECT Easy-to-use website with lots of sustainable materials and resources » www.ecolect.net BIOPLASTICS Portal with online resources on biopolymers and bioplastics » www.biopolymer.net O2 GLOBAL NETWORK International network for sustainable design » www.o2.org
GET INSPIRED #01
DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY Website with Design for Sustainability (D4S) manual for download » www.d4s-de.org
GROWTH
STORY OF STUFF A 20-minute animation of our consumerist society » www.storyofstuff.com
Welcome to the first issue of Material Stories quarterly newsletter!
READ
This first edition is all about Growth. Growth in nature has always been a great source of inspiration for the design of the human environment. Not only for its precious resources such as its water, oil, woods, etc. - nature also shows us how diverse worlds of flora and fauna can be in balance with itself, something which inspires many sustainability thinkers.
»materials made from sugar« The use of growing or renewable materials partly depends on scientific progress. A recent discovery of a new enzyme at the University of Duisburg-Essen makes it possible to generate a key ingredient for acrylic glass from natural raw materials such as sugar, alcohol or fatty acids. A new biotechnological process will allow acrylic glass to be manufactured not only from fossil but from renewable raw materials in the future. Imagine, acrylic glass made from sugar!
DESIGN ECOLOGY ! This book provides us a very visual overview of the many sides of a "new ecology", a more sustainable society featuring people, fashion, brands, and more!
»fried tree bark« Growth is not limited to sustance but also involves growing knowledge. My teachings at the Bremen University of the Arts involved young designers working with natural materials such as tree bark, rice corns, and fresh algae (see cover photo). Hands on research included printed algae, rice constructions and students frying tree bark for over 20 minutes. The materials course resulted in new applications and appreciation for the aesthetic qualities of nature's materials.
NATURE DESIGN Nature has always been a great source of inspiration in the design of our environment. The book discusses our relationship with nature from 18th century till present.
ON GROWTH AND FORM First published in 1917, the book discusses subjects as the growth of eggs, skeletons, and crystals. Written in rich literary style with over 500 photos and drawings. Dover Publications
FEATURED MATERIAL
NEXT ISSUE: POWER
What differentiates Materialise's technologies from others? - Common for all the 3d printing techniques is that they are a form of adding layers of material. This, as opposed with milling or CNC which are focused on removal of material. Of course the technology is 100% digital processed.
Thank you, and "Happy Birthday", right? - Yes. .MGX by Materialise recently celebrated its fifth birthday and just launched this year's collection theme: "e-volution"!
Naomi Kaempfer is Creative Director and Head of the .MGX by Materialise (www.materialise-mgx.com | www.materialise.com)
SHARE SUBSCRIBE Send an e-mail with your name and profession to receive a free copy (pdf) of Material Stories quarterly newsletter: » newsletter@materialstories.com DOWNLOAD All newsletters are also available on: » www.materialstories.com/newsletter
This world needs positive thinking but it would be wrong to ignore the more worrying sides of growth such as our growing consumption and pollution. Therefore, »Reduce, Reuse, Recycle« is one of our favorite reminders and are featuring a competition which is all about recycling. Besides recycling afterwards, »Reduce« is more about a state of mind up front. To get yourself inspired, please check the Story of Stuff website (see Browse) with a 20-minutes animation worth watching!
* Aart van Bezooyen (Owner, Material Stories)
Dear Naomi, what does "Growth" mean for Materialise? - Actually, everything we produce is a matter of "growing materials". The term found in 2007-2008 for the technology is "Additive Layered Fabrication" (ALF).
Lars Müller Publishers
»reduce, reuse, recycle«
So far, enjoy this first newsletter with materials, resources, and ideas. If you like what you're reading, please tell your friends and colleagues, and grow more awareness for materials in design!
CHAT
Hermann Schmidt Verlag Mainz
»magic materials« Besides scientific research, growth can be everyday business such as for the company Materialise, who is growing products for many industries. Designers love the .MGX division which makes rapid prototyping and manufacturing techniques accessible to professionals. Special software enables the growth of a product 3D pixel after pixel which might sound very technical but as Naomi Kaempfer (see Chat) notes: »When digital mathematics and 3D graphics are able to match and resonate with our human organic rhythm and innate aesthetic proportions, magic appears.«
Gernot Oberfell and Jan Wertel from Platform Studio designed the Fractal.MGX, a fully functional coffee table inspired by the fractal growth patterns of trees | photo by Materialise » www.materialise-mgx.com
KEY FACTS Newsletter: Get Inspired #01 | GROWTH Author: Aart van Bezooyen Release date: April 2009 Subscribers: 750+ materials fans Contact: info@materialstories.com BARKTEX is a wood that feels like fabric. The bark is cultivated from the Mutuba trees in Uganda and used to be for kings only. Today, BARKTEX is used in clothing, interiors, and even cars! » www.barktex.com
VISIT 20-24 April 2009 IF MATERIAL TRENDS | HANNOVER Special exhibition on materials during the Hannover Messe » www.hannovermesse.com
THANKS Many thanks to Alexander Weber, Florian Weiss, Naomi Kaempfer, and Wobke Oldenburger for their support and contributions to this newsletter.
FEATURED COMPETITION
19-21 May 2009 PDM 2009 | TELFORD One of the biggest gatherings in the UK plastics market » www.pdmevent.com 16-18 June 2009 MATERIAL VISION | FRANKFURT Biannual trade fair with new materials for architecture and design » www.material-vision.com
Contribute to the next newsletter by sending POWER related materials, products or projects to info@materialstories.com (please understand that selected contributions are published)
16-18 June 2009 TECHTEXTIL | FRANKFURT International trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens » www.techtextil.com
See more events and competitions at www.materialstories.com
RecyclingDesignpreis Competition 2009 Prizes: 2.500 Euros Deadline: 31 July 2009 » www.recyclingboerse.org