The future according to Norway: modelling sustainable design

“The party is over! We have enough things, and more things will not make us happier. The task is to create something meaningful with less – with few, local and recycled materials, with less CO2 emissions and with design that solves more challenges or promotes innovation.” 

– Marit Justine Haugen, co-curator, Norwegian Presence

Denied its usual Milan platform, Norwegian Presence’s organiser, DOGA, has pushed on undaunted with the country’s annual design showcase, launching its 2020 programme with a digital exhibition shot in Edvard Munch’s former studio. Since it started in 2015, Norwegian Presence’s selection has always put sustainability and innovation at the forefront, but this year’s curators – Benedicte Sunde of DOGA and Marit Justine Haugen of Haugen/Zohar Architects – have taken an even more radical stance. 

The ‘class of 2020’ comprises 10 Norway’s designers and seven manufacturers who are taking a stand against the culture of consumption and disposability, embracing socially and environmentally conscious approaches, pioneering new materials and finding new applications for old ones. They are the frontline of a global design revolution, where waste is an opportunity, longevity and recyclability are minimum requirements, and every product represents a step closer to a fully circular economy.

Looking at this year’s products, it’s clear that three connected ideas are steering Norwegian design culture. 

1. EXPERIMENTATION

In a world of diminishing resources, many designers are inspired to move beyond the predictable, to break with traditional production methods and to develop bold new approaches to materials and making. Driven by a spirit of experimentation, these designers are manipulating materials to achieve unexpected – and often strikingly beautiful – results. They include:

Ali Gallefoss whose series of material experiments Aluminium & Stone have led to a family of sculptural objects in which aluminium is cast in pieces of stone left over from manufacture.

Poppy Lawman’s Papirstein, a chair made entirely from compressed spruce paper pulp and coloured with rosehip ink.

Vilde Hagelund, whose project, Objectum, entailed the creation of 60 objects in birch made over 60 days. Among other things, this experimental exploration of the wood’s inherent properties resulted in the Remissus tray and Pedestal table.

2. CIRCULARITY

The establishment of a truly circular design economy has become one of Norway’s priorities as a manufacturing nation. Norwegian Presence offers a vision of a system in which every aspect of a product is fully considered in all its social and environmental implications. From the sourcing of materials, to the energy consumption involved in production and use, though to the impact of end-of-life disposal, circular design is a level above simple sustainability – a promise of a world in which one product ultimately becomes raw materials for another. Norwegian Presence designers are leading the charge, with several products adopting a holistic, cradle-to-cradle approach:

Andreas Bergsaker’s Korpus wall shelf is made from a single sheet of hammered aluminium, and requires no welding, which ensures the production process is energy efficient and the product itself is 100% recyclable.

Nils Stensrud and his collaborator, the engineer Jörg Siegfried Schauer, have developed a low-energy construction method that requires no metal components, making production of the Lulle daybed more efficient. The wood used is Norway’s abundant and sustainably grown birch, and the textile surface is padded with used woollen blankets that might otherwise be thrown away.

NCP, the furniture manufacturer that takes waste plastic nets from the local fishing industry and uses them as raw material for products such as the S-1500 chair, originally designed by Bendt Winge in the late 1960s.

3. FIXABILITY & FLEXIBILITY

One of the most effective ways of countering the culture of consumption, disposability and waste is to design for longevity. That can be achieved by ensuring products are designed with a DIY fix-friendly approach: durable and easily repaired, with individual parts readily replaceable. Flexibility – whereby a product can adapt to fulfil different roles or function in different settings – can also be instrumental in extending its lifespan. Many of the designs featured in Norwegian Presence exemplify this approach:

Sofie & Tiange’s freestanding shelf unit Hylla is designed to expand with different shelving modules, functions and colours to suit various stages of the owner’s life cycle, all without the use of nails or screws. Both Hylla and the Leaf LED table lamp in recycled aluminium, include a deposit mark that enables owners to exchange parts or get a discount on new ones if components become damaged or worn.

Philipp von Hase’s Aaltobelli is the epitome of versatility. Comprising six lightweight wooden stools, two trestles and a tabletop, all of which can easily be rolled up and stored in a leather case, the collection brings exceptional build quality, durability and natural materials to the world of portable furniture.

Tobias Berg Johannessen has created a minimalist armchair, Kvitre, that is sturdy enough to be used both indoors and out. The chair is built for flexibility, with a seat that can easily be repaired or replaced in response to wear, tear or just the user’s changing style and taste.

“All the projects in the exhibition show a product that has been created in an innovative way, focusing on low emissions, craftsmanship and processes that lead us into a new century.”

– Marit Justine Haugen, co-curator, Norwegian Presence

See the full programme at norwegianpresence.no