Habitarematerials to present a digital tool for comparing the environmental impacts of materials and to challenge us to consider a new, more sustainable aesthetic
The Habitarematerials exhibition had its debut last spring at Milan Design Week, where it was enthusiastically received by an international design audience and the media. In September, Habitarematerials will be featured at Habitare with some Milan seasoning thrown in, and will present a new kind of tool for comparing the environmental impacts of materials. Habitare will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki from 13 to 17 September 2023.
Habitarematerials is a material library designed and curated by Maria Klemetti Laine and Jussi Laine, of NEMO Architects. It was first featured at Habitare in 2019, offering visitors space and freedom to browse through materials and explore their own tastes by experimenting with combinations of different surfaces and colours. Material samples are accompanied by product information that visitors can photograph and take with them for making purchases.
“Habitarematerials has always been about people’s own tastes and preferences, and translating these into sustainable choices, and this is what we hope to see every year”, says Maria Klemetti Laine and adds: “We have talked a lot about how the time we live in, the limited resources, the climate crisis, and the ensuing transformation of the economy require us to have a new aesthetic sense and a new aesthetic. We would like to see exhibition visitors take this on as a challenge and explore what the new aesthetic is.”
The exhibition, which has tripled in area, will pilot four new features this autumn, including a digital tool, created in collaboration with the platform service company Materialisting, that will enhance visitors’ exhibition experience and provide additional information.
A tool co-created with Materialisting guides towards more environmentally-friendly choices
The tool provided by Materialisting considers all the data points of the EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) categorisation. It takes into account a wide range of environmental impacts, including the carbon footprint, impacts on water bodies, the atmosphere, and biodiversity loss, as well as recyclability.
"We have not previously had this comprehensive data available in a readily comparable format. Materialisting provides an easy-to-use service for this”, say Maria and Jussi.
At Habitarematerials, the new feature is visible in the QR codes located on the back of the material samples. The code links to the Materialisting service, where users can retrieve information about the material in question.
“We are extremely happy with our cooperation with Materialisting. The service enables the experiential information about material combinations, the emotional reactions that arise from it, and the aesthetic experiences to be contrasted with the environmental information. In the long term, this forces companies to create more environmentally sustainable products.”
New features to be piloted at Habitarematerials 2023:
1 Meeting place
The Habitarematerials platform provides the participating materials companies and customers with a meeting place, which has a dedicated space at the exhibition. A calendar showing when company representatives are present will be available at habitarematerials.com.
2 Reference library
The exhibition’s reference library invites visitors to deepen and expand their awareness and knowledge of materials. Portfolios of samples, brochures, and literature related to the materials featured in the exhibition will be available.
3 Digital tool
The tool, which is especially important for designers, provides data that can be used to compare the environmental impacts of materials. Habitare will be piloting a simplified version of the Materialisting tool, which includes fewer data points than the full version.
4 Studio corner for photography
Until now, visitors to the exhibition have taken photographs of the material combinations they have created on the collage table from above. The new studio corner makes it possible to take pictures so that the material samples are in a three-dimensional space. A wall material can be placed upright and a floor material horizontally.
The Habitarematerials exhibition features the following companies: Annala, Bjelin, Bolon, Cent, Cover Story, CWP, Durat, Johanna Gullichsen, Lasilinkki, Lauritzon, Nordic Copper, Novenberg, Novowood, Pihlgren&Ritola, Siparila, Tarkett, Tulikivi, VM Carpet and Wienerberger.
The partners of the Habitarematerials exhibition are Asun magazine and Materialisting.
Images of Habitarematerials can be downloaded here.
More information:
Pia Sievinen, Communications Specialist, Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre (Messukeskus), pia.sievinen@messukeskus.com, +358 40 559 9155
@HABITAREMATERIALS / @ARCHITECTSNEMO / @ASUNLEHTI
Habitare, the largest furniture, design and interior decoration event in Finland, will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki, from 13 to 17 September 2023. Habitare offers experiences and ideas on interior decoration, and on the functioning and look of homes and other spaces. Habitare highlights the ideas and works by a new generation of designers, and sparks discussion. | habitare.fi | @habitarefair | facebook.com/habitare | #habitare2023
