Smart Office Materials

The materials used in the modern world of work are subject to an enormous change. Sustainable solutions based on biological resources which are beneficial to health are gaining more and more importance. The same applies to lightweight solutions for mobile working, multifunctional materials and smart materials. In the office environment of to-morrow wireless energy transmission by means of a cloud will be possible. Dividing walls can consist of odiferous materials. Furniture made of plywood lightweight tubes make a spontaneous move outdoors possible. The world of work shall become more flexible, comfortable and healthier.

The special exhibition showed the latest developments and materials in terms of sustainability and lightweight and functional materials for the modern work environment as well. Special emphasis was placed on innovations allowing biological growth processes and the possibility of implementation of completely new production principles. However the application of natural materials in the office environment will not only create new possibilities of organic design but also will satisfy the wish of many architects for ecologically sustainable solutions with the aim of a steady rearrangement of many office situations in this day and age. Another emphasis was placed on the increasing importance of three-dimensional printers and generative manufacturing processes and of materials available for this technology which can be used in the development activities of designers and architects.

Some Highlights of the exhibition showing more than 110 exhibits on a 500 sqm were:

– Bamboo composite material (Future City Lab, Singapore)
– SUPA wireless energy transmission (SUPA wireless, Bielefeld)
– LiCrete translucent concrete (Gravelli, Praha)
– Acoustic board with bark cloth surface (Barkcloth, Freiburg)
– Well Proven Chair made from foamed sawdust (James Shaw, Marjan van Aubel, London)
– Diming system using shape memory alloys (Madlen Deniz, Berlin)
– Room divider made of elastic plywood compound material (Ply Project, Tokyo/Berlin)
– Antiseptic handles made from birchbark (betula manus, Münster)
– Wooden textile (Elisa Strozyk, Berlin)
– Lignotube lightweight tubes made from veneered wood (LignoTube, Dresden)
– NfK sandwich (AG NfK Leichtbau, Fraunhofer IWM, Weimar)
– Sea chair project (Studio Swine, London)
– Light Skin – Interactive light (Space Kitchen, HfG Offenbach)
– Bodyboard made from mushroom (Ecovative Design, New York)

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