‘100R’ by Hydro invites top designers to work in revolutionary recycled aluminium

In partnership with Hydro

Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company Hydro has tasked a team of renowned designers to work with Hydro CIRCAL 100R, the first industrial-scale aluminium material made entirely of post-consumer scrap. The results – by Inga Sempé, Max Lamb, Andreas Engesvik, Shane Schneck, Rachel Griffin, John Tree and Philippe Malouin – are presented in ‘100R’, a new exhibition during Milan Design Week 2024, and celebrate the capability and versatility of aluminium.

‘100R’ by Hydro at Milan Design Week 2024

With Norwegian designer Lars Beller Fjetland in charge of art direction, concept development and strategy, Hydro’s showcase of its revolutionary material’s vast and sustainable possibilities inspired the creation of table lamps, vases, a chair, a coat stand, a partition and shelving system – while also paving the way for a green transition.

‘With this project, we acknowledge that we are moving toward a future where utilising materials already in circulation is imperative for sustainable living and manufacturing,’ says Beller Fjetland. ‘Hydro CIRCAL 100R precisely facilitates that, as aluminium can be endlessly recycled without any loss of quality. I am confident that we will continue to use this exact material 100 years from now.’

Having selected talents for their specific skill sets and approaches, Beller Fjetland’s strategy was to create a strong and clear framework for the project before giving the designers complete freedom to create. The only stipulation Hydro made was that the designers create purely from extruded aluminium.

‘It is amazing how the challenge was tackled,’ says Asle Forsbak, 100R project lead and marketing & communication director at Hydro Extrusions. ‘By using smart production techniques, you can see great functionality, rational designs and production processes, and even organic forms, which provide a surprising effect. It was liberating to give full freedom to the designers to create virtually anything. And even more so to see our engineers help them realise their ideas, making products that are ready to be mass-produced tomorrow.’

‘Innovation starts at the drawing board, so collaborating with designers at the beginning of the process is key to creating something remarkable,’ says Forsbak. ‘No one is better [placed] to showcase the potential in extrusion manufacturing and aluminium than today’s top designers. Working with Lars and this group of world-class designers, with their uncompromised ideas, is something out of the ordinary, and shows what we can achieve. When designers, engineers and material specialists unite, is when the innovation happens.’

‘100R’, showcasing design objects made entirely from Hydro CIRCAL 100R recycled aluminium, is presented at Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi 7, 20129, Milan, 16 – 21 April

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