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Man-made marble by Max Lamb used to create camouflaged furniture installation

Milan 2014: British designer Max Lamb developed a multicoloured engineered marble for Dzek, which was used to build furniture that appears to merge with walls of the same material for an installation in Milan.

Marmoreal by Max Lamb for Dzek Salone Installation

Max Lamb was approached by London design brand Dzek to re-examine the production of man-made stone surfaces and came up with a material called Marmoreal that combines coloured marble with a polyester binder to create a durable stone for architectural applications.

Marmoreal by Max Lamb for Dzek Salone Installation

“We invited Max to examine agglomerate stones such as terrazzo and question how he would design and use one consistent with his practice known for its quixotic craftsmanship, disciplined logic, and a measured exuberance deeply rooted in materiality,” said Dzek founder Brent Dzekciorius.

Marmoreal by Max Lamb for Dzek Salone Installation

Rather than the small chips of stone embedded in typical terrazzo, Lamb chose to celebrate the natural surface detail of marble by including large chunks in the mix for his manmade material.

Marmoreal by Max Lamb for Dzek Salone Installation

Marmoreal means “real marble” in Italian and is used to describe materials or objects that resemble marble. The four types of marble used in Lamb’s stone come from the quarries around Verona in northern Italy, which are famous for processing marble.

Marmoreal by Max Lamb for Dzek Salone Installation

Green Verde Alpi, ochre-yellow Giallo Mori, and red Rosso Verona variants were selected to contrast with a background of white Bianco Verona marble.

Marmoreal by Max Lamb for Dzek Salone Installation

Combining these stones with a small amount of polyester resin results in a multicoloured material that is stronger and less porous than natural marble.

Marmoreal by Max Lamb for Dzek Salone Installation

“Composed of four historically significant Veronese marbles, Marmoreal is a material exploration that celebrates the individual qualities of these stones while acknowledging that the sum of its parts makes for something far more compelling,” explained Dzekciorius.

The material can be used to produce tiles or components for furniture, like the six pieces developed by Lamb to showcase the product’s capabilities.

Marmoreal by Max Lamb for Dzek Salone Installation

These include a chair, bookcase, low coffee table, side table, shelf and a dining table or desk, all produced from simple geometric blocks of the engineered marble.

At its installation during last week’s Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Dzek presented the furniture in a space lined with tiles of Marmoreal that made it hard to distinguish the furniture from the walls.

Marmoreal by Max Lamb for Dzek Salone Installation

Dzek focuses on collaborating with architects, designers and artists to develop architectural materials that can be used as the basis for product collections. The Marmoreal project is the first to be completed by the company.

Photography is by Delfino Sisto Legnani.

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camouflaged furniture installation
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In Which We Seek Your Design News

If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times: “I could tell you this Big Design News, but then I’d have to kill you.” Now you can give us the scoop and skip the messy task of plotting murder, thanks to our handy “Anonymous Tips” box nestled in the menu bar at right, below the search box. Simply type in your news—design happenings, movements of the Revolving Door, a bit of gossip, a designer’s hidden talent, or any newsy, design-y morsel—and click “Send.” And for those not inclined to clandestine tipping, we’re still just an e-mail away.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

New exhibition showcases the work of Swiss architect Gion A Caminada

The timber and stone buildings of Gion A Caminada, a cult figure in Swiss architecture, will feature in an exhibition opening next month at the House of Art in the Czech city of České Budějovice (+ slideshow).

Caminada exhibition Haus Walpen Blatten
Haus Walpen, Blatten

Hailing from Graubünden, the same Swiss canton as fellow architect Peter Zumthor, Gion A Caminada has built little outside of his native region and instead focussed much of his life’s work on the village of Vrin, where he established his studio in the late 1970s.

Both the population and the economy of the village were in serious decline, so Caminada set about providing infrastructure that would help it to thrive again. These projects include the Klosterhof Salaplauna farming facility and the Mehrzweckhalle public sports hall.

Caminada exhibition Klosterhof Salaplauna
Klosterhof Salaplauna

Initally trained as a carpenter and cabinet-maker, the architect also designed a series of houses aimed at combining traditional constructions with modern detailing. Examples of these include Haus Walpen in Blatten, Haus Caviezel in Vrin and his own home, Haus Caminada.

The exhibition, entitled Creating Places, will offer a retrospective of Caminada’s career to date, compiled by the architect alongside curator Michal Škoda.

Caminada exhibition Aussichtsturm Reussdelta
Aussichtsturm Reussdelta

“The aspect of my architecture that I am interested in is the discussion with the local tradition,” said Caminada, who currently works as an architecture professor at ETH Zurich.

“I pose a question to myself what those old architectural systems may give us,” he continued. “Where is the substance of those constructions? How can they be transformed for new kinds of use to meet the requirements of the present time?”

Caminada exhibition Aussichtsturm Reussdelta
Aussichtsturm Reussdelta

Other projects featured will include Aussichtsturm Reussdelta – an observation tower for ornithologists – and Waldhuette, a school classroom contained within a woodland cabin.

Caminada exhibition Stall Werner Caminada
Stall Werner Caminada

The exhibition opens at the House of Art’s contemporary art and architecture gallery on 7 May and will run until 15 June.

Here’s some more information about the exhibition:


Gion A Caminada – Creating Places

“The aspect of my architecture that I am interested in is the discussion with the local tradition. I pose a question to myself what those old architectural systems may give us. Where is the substance of those constructions? How can they be transformed for the new kinds use to meet the requirements of the present time? It is always the matter of discussion and a new development. I believe that it is the core of tradition of the entire village.”

Caminada exhibition Vrin Mehrzweckhalle
Mehrzweckhalle, Vrin

These are the words of the Swiss architect Gion A Caminada, whose exhibition was prepared by the Gallery of Contemporary Art and Architecture of the House of Art in České Budějovice for May and June this year.

In the late 1970s, Caminada appeared with a project of improving the development and functioning of the village. And Vrin became the place that Caminada focused a major part of his lifelong effort on. Nowadays, with the benefit of hindsight, we can state that certain ideas and proposals of Caminada’s have not remained at the level of considerations only, which is proved by an essential change on the place mentioned.

Caminada exhibition Waldhuette Domat Ems
Waldhuette, Domat/Ems

Vrin, a village that was dying, both in terms of population and economy, started to change in a number of respects. People stopped moving away, and a number of communal and private buildings, as well as modern farming constructions enabling a contemporary manner of cultivating land, were built. All of this was achieved without a conflict with the traditional nature of the village. Traditions and the cultural heritage were linked with new, up-to-date needs. Another proof of the well-chosen way is that Vrin was the first village to be awarded the Wakker Prize of the Swiss Heritage Society.

In Caminada’s work, architecture also plays a social role. It is happy and beautiful only if the tension between tradition and modern ways bring attractive solutions and if its function is linked with a way of life.

Caminada exhibition Waldhuette Domat Ems
Waldhuette, Domat/Ems

Caminada based his work on the presumption that houses have to reflect people’s stories, and that architecture is an interdisciplinary field, while technology is merely its complement. He uses contemporary means to imprint a traditional appearance to the Alpine environment. However, at the same time, he admits that architecture is becoming a political issue to an increasing degree. The designer has to overcome a number of obstacles related to politics. This is what he partly views as the weak point of contemporary architecture, which has forgotten to solve problems.

Caminada exhibition Haus Caminada Vrin
Haus Caminada, Vrin

Caminada focuses his interest on the countryside/periphery. He characterises it as the domesticated countryside. Although this area once received a generous support from the Swiss government, this support started to fade away as the government decided to support centres/catchment towns and large villages, which are supposed to influence and inspire the periphery. However, is he convinced that proceeding in the opposite direction is correct. He assumes that this way would, on the contrary bring about an increase in the number of abandoned villages.

He is very particular about tradition and continuity in his work, not only about the picture. His constructions communicate in a comprehensible language, giving priority to their own function. It places a great emphasis on details while studying further possibilities of traditional constructions and trying to find ways towards a perfect model of the timbered house.

Caminada exhibition Berghuette Terri
Berghuette Terri

We can talk about architecture with a reflection of the original culture, with respect to a particular place, which is not only a romantic area, but also a countryside with whims of the weather.

This exhibition that Caminada prepared specially for the Gallery in České Budějovice focuses on the subject of The Creation of Places. At this venue, it deals with a particular architectonic object to a lesser extent, but gives more attention to the idea of how a place could be strengthened in its broadest reality. The exhibition is divided into five parts, and visitors may see both the village of Vrin and the relationships between objects and the countryside, and the place of Caminada’s next place of work – the ETH Zurich.

Caminada exhibition Haus Beckel Kübler
Haus Beckel Kübler

Gion Antoni Caminada lives in the village of Vrin, in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. First, he learned the trade of carpenter and cabinet maker and then he attended a school of applied arts. After gaining experience on his travels he graduated from the ETH Zurich, the Department of Architecture, where he currently works as a professor. In the late 1970s, he returned to his native village of Vrin, founded his own office, and is also politically active there. Most of his realised works that focus on optimising the functioning of the village are situated at Vrin and its surroundings. He is interested in discussions with the local building tradition, and seeks possibilities of employing old building constructions in modern architecture. To realise his constructions he uses traditional local materials wood and stone.

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Swiss architect Gion A Caminada
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Amnesty International Freedom Candles

Ogilvy a réalisé pour Amnesty International une campagne des plus réussies mêlant spot publicitaire et vente aux enchères pour permettre d’obtenir des financements. Avec Freedom Candles, un spot vidéo dévoile des bougies pensées par Coarse représentant des situations de violences et de privations de libertés, dévoilant des symboles d’espoirs cachés sous la cire.

A noter que 30 bougies seront mises aux enchères en éditions limitées sur eBay le 19 avril.

Amnesty International Freedom Candles6
Amnesty International Freedom Candles5
Amnesty International Freedom Candles4
Amnesty International Freedom Candles3
Amnesty International Freedom Candles2
Amnesty International Freedom Candles1

Rotating Power

The Vertical Rotary Socket is a new way of looking at power cord extension or multi-plugs. The design offers a simple solution of a rotating base, giving you the liberty of plugging in the various shapes and forms of plug-heads, without them interfering with each other for space. Sweet!

Designer: Xue Shi Huai


Yanko Design
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(Rotating Power was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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