I Wood Like

Huge success amongst the public, famous figures and specialised workers for Scm Group at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano. The biggest and most famous furniture and furnishings exhibition came to an end after six days (9-14 April) of business, meetings, events and appointments that brought over 300,000 visitors to the site.

A great opportunity for woodworking technologies which, for the first time, were welcomed into the temple of design - recognition of their contribution with regards to both work and creativity. The intelligent setting for all this was the “I Wood Like - Handmade & digital crafting” project, developed by FederlegnoArredo (the branch of the Italian Manufacturers' Association that brings together firms working with wood and its derivatives), the Culturalegno association that spreads the culture of wood and its traditional, artisan and artistic transformation, and Scm Group. Three different organisations but with one single goal: to show young people that they can be their own boss, building real opportunities for their future even in the world of wood. As skilful inlayers and cabinet-makers, but also as “evolved artisans” who, with the aid of powerful and versatile but very user-friendly technologies, can transform both the wood and their own destiny.

An event that met with great success in the cultural, political and institutional world too: many famous figures visited the “I Wood Like” area, including the president of the Lombardy region Roberto Maroni, the mayor of Milan Giuliano Pisapia, the vice-president of the European Commission Antonio Tajani, the president of the Italian Manufacturers' Association Giorgio Squinzi, the president of the Maxxi museum of Rome Giovanna Melandri, the chairman of the Education, Training and Work Committee of the Lombardy Region Valentina Aprea, senator Roberto FormigoniMariastella Gelmini (ex minister of Education), not to mention well-known “archistars” and internationally renowned designers.

As well as Roberto Snaidero and Giovanni De Ponti (president and chief executive of FederlegnoArredo), there was also Scm Group president Giovanni Gemmani and co-owner Adriano Aureli to welcome the visitors.

A prestigious occasion for the Rimini group which, during the fair, demonstrated how a machining centre (an affordable investment for an artisan firm) can create a complex, stunning table like the “Vaulted table” designed by the London studio Bloomlab.

An initiative that is not only ethics and culture, but also aims to underline what the group strongly believes in - that Italy's true wealth lies in knowledge, training, and investment in the potential of the manufacturing sector. “Thanks to our culture, our creativity, and our precious and unbeatable artisan traditions – said Alfredo Aureli, group managing director, summing up the initiative –today's youngsters can depend on excellent professional prospects in Italy. A path that will be even more fruitful if we can bring them closer to numeric control machines and the most innovative technologies, showing them how quick and easy they are to use, and how they can ensure production with competitive costs”.

It's been shown that technology reduces labour's impact on the cost of a good by 6% - an irrelevant variable that brings the concept of competitiveness back into perspective and makes the advantages of delocalisation far less significant; a further chance to be “your own boss”.

What is it

The project, created jointly by FederlegnoArredo, Scm Group and Culturalegno, aims to generate insights into the way wood is processed, from the raw material to the finished product or object. Materials, timbers, products, design objects and examples of the craftsman and artisan’s skills will be on display alongside numerical-control industrial technologies.

The organizers of I Wood Like hope to prove to the young designers that in order to turn a brilliant idea into a design object using leading-edge technology, the first step is to acquire an appreciation of the raw material and its potential, and then to employ manual woodworking techniques to craft the object that will eventually be machine-made.

The project is made up of four sections “depicting” the various steps involved in creating a design object out of wood: Planning, Prototyping, Programming and Production.

Visitors will be able to watch wood being worked, while a well known “design icon” is manufactured before their very eyes at the venue (the Vaulted Table by Bloomlab Architecture & Design, London). The choice is a particularly relevant one in terms of the design process, as it entails several different prototyping steps (joinery, turning, carving), and illustrates some of the complexities of machine-working.

Various types of wood will be on display, and visitors will have a chance to touch the different species of wood, interact with the master craftsmen on hand, and watch them demonstrate their skills in carving, turning and transforming wood, wielding specialist tools and sharing their passion for wood. Also on display will be a numerical-control processing centre installed and operated by SCM Group (Tech Z5). A simulated carpentry unit will show how leading edge technology can turn a great idea into a brilliant design object within the space of hours, achieving consistently flawless quality and accommodating unconstrained creativity.

I Wood Like also offer visitors the opportunity to learn about the Polo Formativo Legno-Arredo (Legno-Arredo Training Facility), a new project that FederlegnoArredo is undertaking with the support of Scm Group at Lentate sul Seveso, a town near Milan.

Salone del Mobile 2013

Grande interesse per il progetto I Wood Like da parte dei visitatori internazionali, giunti soprattutto da Oriente, Usa, Russia e India. Lo stand è stato inoltre visitato da personalità illustri, quali il sindaco di Milano Giuliano Pisapia, il presidente di Confindustria Giorgio Squinzi, il presidente del Maxxi, Giovanna Melandri, il presidente della Regione Lombardia Roberto Maroni, il vicepresidente della Commissione Europea Antono Tajani, oltre che ad architetti famosi tra i quali Marc Sadler.

A riceverli, per SCM Group il presidente Giovanni Gemmani e Adriano Aureli; per FedelegnoArredo, il presidente Roberto Snaidero e il direttore generale Giovanni De Ponti.

Inoltre, tantissimi studenti accompagnati dagli insegnanti hanno potuto osservare da vicino il centro di lavoro Tech Z5, tecnologia che garantisce prestazioni eccellenti. Nello stand tre artigiani illustrano come si producono a mano oggetti in legno e i nostri tecnici con l'impiego del CNC, il cui utilizzo è stato promosso soprattutto per i giovani ma anche da testate internazionali come The Economist, che lo supporta per la flessibilitù della produzione in tutti i settori.

Photogallery

ICFF 2013

Scm Group, dopo lo storico “debutto” ai “Saloni” di Milano, la riconosciuta cattedrale del design mondiale, è sbarcata anche a New York, in occasione della “Design week” che si svolge nella metropoli statunitense.

I Wood Like è stato presentato al pubblico della Icff (International Contemporary Furniture Fair), tenutasi dal 18 al 23 maggio al Jakob K. Javits Conventiuon Center. Una nuova occasione prestigiosa per ribadire, anche a New York, come un centro di lavoro, un investimento alla portata di una impresa artigiana, possa realizzare un tavolo di grande fascino e complessità come il “Vaulted table”, progettato dallo studio londinese Bloomlab, tornato di nuovo protagonista dopo l'esordio milanese ai Saloni e la trasferta tedesca a Ligna.

Video

Vaulted Table - Salone Mobile 2013 from BLOOMLAB LTD on Vimeo.

Partners

The heart and soul of the Italian wood and furniture industry.

It has been the embodiment of Italy’s woodworking and furniture-making expertise since 1945. Its mission is to consistently support the growth of Italian businesses and be the ambassadors of tasteful Italian interior design throughout the world. FederlegnoArredo represents the entire wood and furniture sector, from the raw material to finished product, in Italy and abroad. Its headquarters are located in Milan, and they also operate out of our offices in Rome and Brussels.

The wood culture association.

It share san interest in learning more about wood in terms of its cultural, historical and architectural relevance, and its place in the natural environment. The Wood Centre situated in San Giovanni al Natisone (near Udine) stores a collection of over a thousand different unique or hard-to-find wood species (xyloteca lignamundi). “Slow wood” started out as an one-off event, but has now became the driving force behind Culturalegno: it supports and encourages anyone involved in creating, manufacturing, processing and distributing wood.

BLOOMLAB | architecture & design was established in 2011 in London.

The practice operates in the field of contemporary architecture, urban planning, interior and product design; working with private, corporate and public clients. BLOOMLAB strives to create outstanding projects, to enjoy what we do and to work profitably and sustainably. They aim to combine a radical design philosophy with digital design processes to produce beautifully crafted design that is a coherent expression of the social, cultural, economic and environmental conditions that are specific to each project. The founding partners of BLOOMLAB are Federico Rossi, Fabio Fabbri and Pier Matteo Perazzini.

In association with

Download Area

Press Review

"Tra manualità e percorsi digitali", from Il Giornale, 22 march 2013

LINK MANCANTE

"iSaloni2013, I Wood Like", from I Saloni Blog, 27 march 2013

LINK INESISTENTE

Press Release

Salone del Mobile 2013 - SCM Group's press release
ITA - ENG - FRA - DEU - ESP - RUS - CHS

Salone del Mobile 2013 - FLA's press release
ITA

Salone del Mobile 2013 - comunicato stampa post SCM Group
ITA - ENG

ICFF 2013 - SCM Group's press release
ITA - ENG

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