Material Phenomena
Discovery and consultation of new material could bring project designers and manufacturers closer together in a competitive environment
Claudia De Giorgi
Images © Innovathèque of Paris & Material Connexion, Milano
If it’s true that technological innovation has caused a revolution within the world of materials in the last few years, with a tendency towards increasing the information content and making them ever more complex and closer to biological organisms, then it’s also true that project designers are increasingly finding themselves in difficulty when faced with the “mega-choice” of materials and methods, up until now often fortuitous or random, from which to choose one closer to the required characteristics.
A new type of service organization has therefore been created, as an astute response to the real need for creative exchange between the world of design and the world of material production which gathers together and selects the most interesting new creations in order to propose them to project designers: the Material-libraries, libraries where mainly new (“innovative” or traditional but transferred to a new sector) production processes and materials already available on the market but difficult to locate, are stored.
The “searchers” of the Material-libraries visit specialist trade fairs and exhibitions, companies, internet sites and look through magazines to select the most interesting samples as regards, expression, technology, production or performance, and enrich their collection with them. Their expert eye accustomed to seeing beyond the mere seductive expression of materials is able to verify their validity under varying aspects, which range from the ability to satisfy various needs to the low cost of production to environmental sustainability.
The Material libraries offer project designers consultation of the physical and online collections of the samples listed and, where necessary, advice on specific themes through subscription to a service which varies from organization to organization but which is becoming increasingly competitive.
The widening of access to the services may also be attributed to the constantly growing supply. Starting with the first successful experience of Material Connexion, founded in New York in 1997, various other offshoots and set-ups have occurred: in 1998 Materia in Rotterdam, in 2001 Innovathèque-CTBA in Paris and Matech in Padua, in 2002 MatériO in Paris and Material Connexion Milan. In November 2004 the new Material Library of plastic materials will be opening in the Scientific Technology Park of Valle Scrivia.
Organizations which, with varying set-ups and systems, work in competition with each other in the same direction: the creation of a dialogue aimed at innovation between project designers and the producers of materials.
