Surface Design Show feedback + how SuperMaterial will change our world

Buildingtalk editor Howard Chapman reports on the highlights of his visit to the Surface Design Show held at the Business Design Centre in London last week, and reviews SuperMaterial, a major free exhibition on at The Building Centre in London until April.

Surface Design Show

The Surface Design Show at London’s Business Design Centre (7-9 February) was a fascinating event, showcasing the very latest in exterior and interior surfaces, with over 150 exhibitors and 40 industry speakers, attracted over 5,500 professional visitors. 

Here are some of the highlights of my visit….

On-trend themes from Armourcoat

The Armourcoat stand showcased a number of on-trend themes including metallics and concrete effects, paired with stunning three-dimensional geometric patterns.

Daniel Nevitt from Armourcoat also briefed me on the new Armourcoat Acoustic, a plaster system that includes a special mineral wool composite panel that is bonded into the substrate and finished with a seamless layer of the marble based Armourcoat acoustic plaster. This enables sound to be absorbed and attenuated in the layer of mineral wool. The product will qualify for points under the LEED Green Building Rating System.

I-MESH technology and art

I-MESH are new patented materials that create sustainable ventilated claddings and non-occlusive ‘air-walls’, curtains and ceilings. The materials can be blended into graphical languages and offer solar protection indoors and outdoors.

My thanks to Alberto Fiorenzi from IMESH for a great briefing on this exciting material that offers designers and architects new possibilities for stylish and sustainable solutions.

Gerflor explores new trends in flooring

International flooring specialist Gerflor showcased their range of contract and residential flooring solutions including their award-winning Creation ranges of luxury vinyl tile and plank flooring, together with their Taralay Impression Controland Taralay Premium safety flooring products that offer excellent acoustic and shock absorption properties.

Gino Venturelli also gave an interesting CPD seminar on ‘New 2018 Trends and Collections for the Imaginative Mind’.

Daedalian creating stunning glass interiors

It was a revelation to see how Daedalian Glass Studios inventive design and innovative production using glass offer amazing interiors solutions that a beautiful art too! Check out the website for some amazing project examples.

Surface Design Awards 2017

The winners of the Surface Design Awards 2017 were announced at the event including the Supreme Winner 2017: The Broad, USA by ARUP/ Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler. 

How SuperMaterial will change our world

Last week I also visited SuperMaterial, a major free exhibition by The Built Environment Trust being held at The Building Centre in London until 27^th April.

The exhibition includes practical examples of how new discoveries about materials is changing our world and will impact architecture of the future. Will buildings be able to ‘self-repair’, how will graphene revolutionise the built environment, will new materials generate electricity? The SuperMaterial exhibition offers us a glimpse of the latest material innovations that could effect the ecology, budgets, safety and life-span of buildings.

The exhibition also traces some of the historical applications of the ‘super materials’ of the past and how these shaped our urban fabric.

There is also an extensive event programme at the show including ‘Living architecture: can microorganisms help to build our cities’ and ‘Building in Glass’.