Materials revolution

Unveiled ‘RECKONstruct’ at NeoCon, the exhibition dedicated to sustainable design representing the American Pavilion at the XXII International Exhibition of La Triennale di Milano

The United States pavilion also includes RECKONstruct, the exhibition currently being launched at NeoCon (10-12 June). RECKONstruct puts the accent on the revolution of materials in progress in the United States (and elsewhere), demonstrating how sustainable design can respond to the present global environmental crisis.
Conceived and developed by Arup, Humanscale, the SHINE Program of MIT, Novità Communications and NextWave Plastics, it documents the way in which the Humanscale design studio has reinterpreted a simple stool through three different approaches to sustainability: using natural materials (bio-fabrication), gathering unused refuse (circular economy), and taking cues from the engineering solutions found in nature (Biomimetics).

RECKONstruct, US Pavilion at Triennale di Milano
RECKONstruct, US Pavilion at Triennale di Milano

The evaluation of the three projects has been done with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify the impact of the raw materials, from supply to transport, production to effective use. The result? The stools are able to absorb carbon dioxide, reducing plastic pollution of the oceans and preventing methane emissions from dumps.

RECKONstruct at NeoCon
RECKONstruct at NeoCon

The installation is immersive: visitors have a chance to interact with products wearing an Oculus Go VR to enter a film (made by a team of technicians and designers based in Los Angeles for the global engineering firm Arup) about the new circular economy, discovering the opportunities of the life cycle of materials.

A fundamental project created by Humanscale, a studio that uses new technology and functional design to transform traditional offices into active, smart workspaces.