Meet FDA Finalists Nils Ferber and Mirko Daneluzzo
In this six-part series, we talk to the finalists of Singapore's Furniture Design Awards 2017 about their design process
The Furniture Design Award (FDA) is an annual furniture design competition organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC). The Award aims to uncover budding design talents both locally and internationally and be a reputable showcase for the unique creations of the world’s best creative minds. Increasingly, FDA has become a platform for exchange and networking amongst furniture manufacturers and designers internationally.
Here are two of the 12 finalists whose entries are on display at the International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show in 2017. They are vying for the Grand Award of S$20,000 in cash, plus a 12-square-metre exhibition booth to present his/her designs at the fair the following year.
Here are two of the 12 finalists whose entries are on display at the International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show in 2017. They are vying for the Grand Award of S$20,000 in cash, plus a 12-square-metre exhibition booth to present his/her designs at the fair the following year.
What was the first thing that you designed that’s now in the market?
None of my products are in the market yet. The first thing I ever designed was a race vehicle, powered by two electric screwdrivers.
None of my products are in the market yet. The first thing I ever designed was a race vehicle, powered by two electric screwdrivers.
What’s the inspiration behind your entry for FDA?
I set myself a challenge to achieve the seemingly impossible: To combine the advantages of flat-packed furniture with the comfort of an upholstered armchair.
I always need ambitious goals to set my creativity free and start thinking in new ways.
I set myself a challenge to achieve the seemingly impossible: To combine the advantages of flat-packed furniture with the comfort of an upholstered armchair.
I always need ambitious goals to set my creativity free and start thinking in new ways.
Tell us what your creative process is like, using your FDA entry as an example.
Generally, I always work with digital CAD models and physical prototypes at the same time. These two approaches influence each other and one might transform the other one entirely. I try to not force the process towards a predefined outcome but rather follow the findings I discover on the way.
In the case of the Hollow Chair, I started with small experiments exploring different folding patterns, material properties and possible production processes. In the second step, I applied my initial research to a series of scale models and went through many iterations before arriving at the final geometry.
Generally, I always work with digital CAD models and physical prototypes at the same time. These two approaches influence each other and one might transform the other one entirely. I try to not force the process towards a predefined outcome but rather follow the findings I discover on the way.
In the case of the Hollow Chair, I started with small experiments exploring different folding patterns, material properties and possible production processes. In the second step, I applied my initial research to a series of scale models and went through many iterations before arriving at the final geometry.
FDA 2017 Finalist: Hollow Chair by Nils Ferber
The folded Hollow Chair dramatically simplifies the labour-intensive construction of conventional upholstered furniture with a single-layered felt shell that is cut by a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine in a single production step. The felt layer consists of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres and is reinforced by a modular steel frame and tool-free connectors. The Hollow Chair doesn’t make compromises on aesthetics or comfort, but unlike conventional upholstery, it can be produced efficiently at low cost. It can be assembled easily by the user and even be rolled up for shipping and transporting.
The folded Hollow Chair dramatically simplifies the labour-intensive construction of conventional upholstered furniture with a single-layered felt shell that is cut by a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine in a single production step. The felt layer consists of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibres and is reinforced by a modular steel frame and tool-free connectors. The Hollow Chair doesn’t make compromises on aesthetics or comfort, but unlike conventional upholstery, it can be produced efficiently at low cost. It can be assembled easily by the user and even be rolled up for shipping and transporting.
Mirko Daneluzzo
Hailing from Pordenone, Italy, Mirko Daneluzzo is an architect, co-founder of architecture and product design Nyxo Ltd, and a teacher at the Academy of Applied Arts LABA in Rimini.
Daneluzzo received his master’s degree in architecture from the University of Applied Arts, Institute of Architecture in Vienna.
His work has been exhibited internationally in several events including the 12th Venice Biennale of Architecture and the 2010 Beijing Biennale.
How did you get into furniture design?
During my studies at the University of Architecture in Venice, I had the opportunity to work for a small furniture company. Thanks to this experience, I was introduced to the production industry, gaining in-depth knowledge in the use of materials and technologies. I was interested in certain production techniques like rotational-moulding, vacuum forming and composite fabrication. I was able to investigate these and I also had the chance to meet good designers, some of whom are now my friends.
Who are your heroes/idols in the world of furniture design, and what are your inspirations?
During my education, I was influenced a lot by masters in furniture design like Verner Panton, Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, Franco Teodoro, Gaetano Pesce and Eero Saarinen. Talking about a generation closer to us, I admire the work of designers like Ross Lovegrove, Mathieu Lehanneur, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and Joris Laarman.
If we talk about my inspirations, I usually escape from the specific field of design. Inspiration comes from many fields: scientific to art researches, from biology to technological innovation. I love to remix knowledge coming from different fields and re-contextualise the ideas in search of new aesthetics.
Hailing from Pordenone, Italy, Mirko Daneluzzo is an architect, co-founder of architecture and product design Nyxo Ltd, and a teacher at the Academy of Applied Arts LABA in Rimini.
Daneluzzo received his master’s degree in architecture from the University of Applied Arts, Institute of Architecture in Vienna.
His work has been exhibited internationally in several events including the 12th Venice Biennale of Architecture and the 2010 Beijing Biennale.
How did you get into furniture design?
During my studies at the University of Architecture in Venice, I had the opportunity to work for a small furniture company. Thanks to this experience, I was introduced to the production industry, gaining in-depth knowledge in the use of materials and technologies. I was interested in certain production techniques like rotational-moulding, vacuum forming and composite fabrication. I was able to investigate these and I also had the chance to meet good designers, some of whom are now my friends.
Who are your heroes/idols in the world of furniture design, and what are your inspirations?
During my education, I was influenced a lot by masters in furniture design like Verner Panton, Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, Franco Teodoro, Gaetano Pesce and Eero Saarinen. Talking about a generation closer to us, I admire the work of designers like Ross Lovegrove, Mathieu Lehanneur, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and Joris Laarman.
If we talk about my inspirations, I usually escape from the specific field of design. Inspiration comes from many fields: scientific to art researches, from biology to technological innovation. I love to remix knowledge coming from different fields and re-contextualise the ideas in search of new aesthetics.
What was the first thing that you designed that’s now in the market?
The first thing I designed that is in the market, is the interior of the ultra-light aircraft Syncro, by Fly Synthesis.
Besides the technical information, it was intriguing for me to design something so related to the human body. I worked closely with engineers to develop efficient solutions in terms of fabrication and structural performance and the final result was close to the idea of ‘embodiment’, where many characters like structure, ergonomics, decoration, are merged in one object using the form as a ruler.
The first thing I designed that is in the market, is the interior of the ultra-light aircraft Syncro, by Fly Synthesis.
Besides the technical information, it was intriguing for me to design something so related to the human body. I worked closely with engineers to develop efficient solutions in terms of fabrication and structural performance and the final result was close to the idea of ‘embodiment’, where many characters like structure, ergonomics, decoration, are merged in one object using the form as a ruler.
What’s the story/idea/inspiration behind your entry for FDA?
The stool that I proposed for the FDA has a long story behind. It is part of these projects that I call ‘itches’, in other words, projects developed regardless of a specific request or commission.
The ‘itch’ of this stool dates back to 2007 when I was intrigued by a particular ‘wavy deformation’ which I was developing as a digital investigation at the university. The goal was to use the torsion and deformation of a surface as a multifunctional solver: basically one shape that performs deformations to incorporate specific mechanical and functional features. So I started to use these concepts to develop a stool, but that primordial idea, remained in the drawer for many years. The FDA competition, gave me the opportunity to evolve that idea in what now is called Stort stool. ‘Stort’ means awry, crooked and it refers to the basic lines of the original shape, that are oblique, crooked, not straight vertical lines. In the last development, where there has been a clarification of the form, the shape itself has suggested the evolution of the design, step by step. The initial intention – to keep all the parts on the surface, in a continuous manner – has been retained as a guideline for the project development.
The stool that I proposed for the FDA has a long story behind. It is part of these projects that I call ‘itches’, in other words, projects developed regardless of a specific request or commission.
The ‘itch’ of this stool dates back to 2007 when I was intrigued by a particular ‘wavy deformation’ which I was developing as a digital investigation at the university. The goal was to use the torsion and deformation of a surface as a multifunctional solver: basically one shape that performs deformations to incorporate specific mechanical and functional features. So I started to use these concepts to develop a stool, but that primordial idea, remained in the drawer for many years. The FDA competition, gave me the opportunity to evolve that idea in what now is called Stort stool. ‘Stort’ means awry, crooked and it refers to the basic lines of the original shape, that are oblique, crooked, not straight vertical lines. In the last development, where there has been a clarification of the form, the shape itself has suggested the evolution of the design, step by step. The initial intention – to keep all the parts on the surface, in a continuous manner – has been retained as a guideline for the project development.
Tell us what your creative process is like, using your FDA entry as an example.
Observation is the main activity: everything can tell you something at different levels, like a Tortellino (ring-shaped pasta) could tell you about folds or a plant about growing structures.
I record my daily inputs which come from everywhere, in my sketchbook, then I transform them into digital sketches. In other words, 3D models that investigate briefly the core concept where form is a matter of process analysis. I have a full archive of these proto-models, and sometimes I refresh my mind studying the samples.
So the first step is to understand what I want to talk about. For the stool, as mentioned before, I was interested in the idea of a surface that is able to define the features of the stool in a continuous manner; a single surface to connect the seat and the footrest. After the definition of the concept, I worked with digital models giving actual size and characteristics like stackability to the object. Then I used 3D printed models to verify the character of the object, starting a feedback loop between digital and physical models. This process gave birth to an evolution of the shape you can see in the picture.
Observation is the main activity: everything can tell you something at different levels, like a Tortellino (ring-shaped pasta) could tell you about folds or a plant about growing structures.
I record my daily inputs which come from everywhere, in my sketchbook, then I transform them into digital sketches. In other words, 3D models that investigate briefly the core concept where form is a matter of process analysis. I have a full archive of these proto-models, and sometimes I refresh my mind studying the samples.
So the first step is to understand what I want to talk about. For the stool, as mentioned before, I was interested in the idea of a surface that is able to define the features of the stool in a continuous manner; a single surface to connect the seat and the footrest. After the definition of the concept, I worked with digital models giving actual size and characteristics like stackability to the object. Then I used 3D printed models to verify the character of the object, starting a feedback loop between digital and physical models. This process gave birth to an evolution of the shape you can see in the picture.
FDA 2017 Finalist: Stort by Mirko Daneluzzo
Stort plays with the contrast between mass and void. A continuous surface bends to give it a massive appearance from the back; but in fact, it is a hollow sculptural shape that wraps the inner void. The deformations of the surface generate the functional parts, such as the seat and the footrest. The twist and side aperture guarantees the stackability of many stools. Stort can be manufactured through rotational moulding, using bio-plastics or in-resin transfer moulding using hemp fibres and natural resins.
MORE
Which Design Will Win Singapore’s Furniture Design Award 2017?
Stort plays with the contrast between mass and void. A continuous surface bends to give it a massive appearance from the back; but in fact, it is a hollow sculptural shape that wraps the inner void. The deformations of the surface generate the functional parts, such as the seat and the footrest. The twist and side aperture guarantees the stackability of many stools. Stort can be manufactured through rotational moulding, using bio-plastics or in-resin transfer moulding using hemp fibres and natural resins.
MORE
Which Design Will Win Singapore’s Furniture Design Award 2017?
Born in Hannover, Germany, Nils Ferber is a product designer based in Zurich, Switzerland. He graduated from the HFBK Hamburg and the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2013, then worked for Kram/Weisshaar. Ferber recently earned his master’s degree at the Ecole Cantonale d’Art Lausanne. His works include conceptual kitchen appliances and architectural-scale installations.
How did you get into furniture design?
It is still the supreme discipline for any product design. Working in the scale of furniture, one not only has to consider aesthetics but also structural stability, the integration of different components, ergonomics and efficient use of materials.
Who are your heroes/idols in the world of furniture design, and what are your inspirations?
Achille Castiglioni and Konstantin Grcic. Their way of working is characterised by combining bold shapes and solid materials to (create) surprisingly functional compositions. Like them, I draw my inspiration from the manufacturing process and material properties. I like products that break conventions and challenge aesthetic expectations.