Secrets & Stories by Michael Alvisse

September 11, 2010

Object Spring Series 2010 : Artist in Residence.

Architect and designer Michael Alvisse is committed to working with people outside the field of design. He is passionate about the way design can build strong communities.

In September 2010, Michael presented the results of a 10 week creative collaboration with students from Dulwich Hill High School of Visual Arts and Design (Sydney) and the Green School (Bali). The results are presented as a magical installation in the Object Gallery, Sydney (Australia).

The project will explore the students’ secrets and stories – their inner and outer worlds drawn from the intimate conversations they have with each other, their families, their communities and the world beyond.

Saturday 11 September – Sunday 26 September Object Gallery, 417 Bourke Street, Surry Hills : Secrets & Stories

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Schamburg+Alvisse want to play with you…

September 1, 2010

Object Spring Series : Open Studios

We invite you to *Stop Playing with Yourself…. Come play with us in the S+A showroom.

SPWY* is a star shaped concept puzzle with 6 pieces – a human scaled version of a small children’s puzzle. Concepted as a team building device, SPWY cannot be solved alone as you must have three people to hold the pieces during assembly. Through playing together as adults, we may remember the enjoyment of cooperation and the power of collaboration; we may achieve solutions impossible to achieve alone.

This is a ticketed event (limited numbers)
Friday 8 October, 3pm – 5pm

Book tickets: http://secure.object.com.au/eventtickets.aspx


S+A have designed and manufactured award winning, contemporary eco-furniture for more than 10 years. Projects range from large corporate and institutional buildings to small residential homes. They conduct both large volume manufacture of chairs and tables as well as one-of-a-kind bespoke pieces. S+A products achieve the high eco-environmental standards of Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC international). Products are conceived as a response to the human desire to be wholly delighted in a product, its practical use, and aesthetic, content, and intrinsic value.

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Object Spring Series

September 1, 2010

Object has charmed some of Sydney’s coolest arts and design studios into opening their doors to the public for the day.

You are invited to come and discover the environments in which creative ideas manifest.

Meet the designer/makers, explore their work spaces, and hear how and why they do what they do. You might even be given the opportunity to get your hands dirty.

Find out more about the Object Spring Series
Download the Engine Room program (pdf).

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Schamburg+Alvisse launch the Native Collection

August 18, 2010

native table edge detailS+A Furniture launch the Native Collection of solid timber furniture designed by Dhiren Bhagwandas. Made in Melbourne, Australia, each Native product is distinctly unique, hewn from sustainably harvested solid timber and finished by hand. It only natural; the synergy between Schamburg+Alvisse and Native is obvious. Considered design, sustainable eco-manufacture, high quality craftsmanship and ethical business practice.

“The Native collection speaks to the contemporary native – individuals who identify strongly with their local culture while maintaining a global perspective.”

Native express Australian stories as metaphors in the furniture – stories based around local traditions, history and landscape. Each piece suggests narratives that investigate our identity and surroundings within an increasingly homogeneous global context. Collection One references the roots of mangrove trees, merging icebergs, dry cracked earth, the contributions of migrant workers, and the transportation of information in electric form.

Port of Call table

Inspired by Melbourne (the home of Native) and its diverse cultural mix, the Port of Call table takes its name from the idea of a ship as a cultural vessel. Ship building techniques are reflected in the ribbed timber structure, designed with legs and support rails to accommodate electrical cables. Thus observing the physical migration of people and information into the electronic.

More Port of Call Table here.

port of call table

Rift modular tables

Rift modular tables trace the forms and movement of icebergs and the shapes found in cracked earth, both indicators of our changing climate. The tables modules can be grouped together forming a continuous ‘land mass’ – or randomly separated for use as individual meeting surfaces.

More Rift Table here.

worker stools

Influenced by Australia’s past as a nation built on commodities and raw materials, the simple worker stools are a tribute to our migrant workforce ; workers supporting a new nation’s economy and adapting to new global conditions. Available in single and double lengths, the Worker Stools are designed to match the Port of Call Table.

More Worker Stools here.

Native: worker stools

Mangrove tables

mangrove tableInspired by the mangrove swamps of Western Port Bay, Victoria, the Mangrove table draws from the structure and visual character of root formations, expressed as asymetrical steel legs. The “duck-egg blue” powdercoat finish is a reference to the water around the roots. Solid Oak timber top in two heights (large and small)

More Mangrove Table here.

More Native Philosophy (the home of Native)

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Schamburg+Alvisse: New Ideas from Old

June 30, 2010

Article: The Innovative Household Magazine 2010

Sandy Leen asks how furniture designers are transforming old ideas and unwanted items into stylish and functional handcrafted furniture:

Fancy a table fashioned from disused engine parts or recycled forks? Or is relaxing in a lounge chair made of inflatable material more your style?

Such entries in the spring 2009 Melbourne Fringe Furniture Festival reflect an increasing trend amongst furniture designers towards re-furbishing and re-working existing objects and ideas to create new ones.

Dan Honey, producer of the Festival which aims to show the most innovative and trend-setting work each year, says this design direction follows a massive global response to the economic crisis.

“Giving new life to an item we might have traditionally discarded is an important concept in design right now,” he says. And Fringe is supporting the move towards a more handcrafted aesthetic by introducing a new award for innovation in crafted design…

For Schamburg + Alvisse, good design is about making our lives richer. “Design must be subordinate to how we live our lives – not the other way around. People want to touch and engage with furniture. when the kids jump on the sofa it is doing its job in helping us live.”

Taking this philosophy a step further, they blur the boundaries between sculpture and furniture with a modular puzzle that can be built into a variety of shapes. Entitled ‘Stop Playing with Yourself’, the pieces can be locked together to make an artwork or a piece of furniture.

“I’ve used it as a cubby house,” says Alvisse. “I like the multi-functional, playful, communal quality of bringing people together which is a big part of what we do.”

Perhaps another factor in the refurbishment and recycling trend is our heightened awareness of environmental issues – so much so that Fringe saves its biggest award for sustainable design.

Schamburg + Alvisse have made eco-friendly construction and safety a priority with their product range. They became Australia’s first furniture maker to achieve Forest Stewardship Council (FCS) certification and audited the chemicals used in the manufacturing process to determine which were potentially harmful.

They describe the process as equivalent to a food becoming organically certified. the result was a move away from solvent-based glues to water-based ones and a more holistic approach to the design process.

“We ask ourselves which chemicals can we engineer out of the process, where do the materials come from, how can we maximise post-consumer recycled content and does the timber come from properly managed sustainable forests?”

Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) has recognised Schamburg + Alvisse and their advances in this area by granting GECA certification for the majority of their products.

excerpt from Innovative Household Magazine
link to whole article: http://www.innovativehousehold.com/the-innovative-household/new-ideas-from-old.aspx

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Schamburg+Alvisse: Greening Your Business

June 1, 2010

Judy Friedlander from DQ magazine talks to Marc Schamburg about what brings a business into green ; looking at a company who has successfully tackled the challenge.

Green is the new black according to Marc Schamburg of Schamburg + Alvisse, a shining example of an Australian company that has struck a commercial advantage by adopting sustainable practices into its furniture and product development.

According to Schamburg, sustainability is increasingly mainstream, and no longer a question of when to apply ecological principles to your business, but how. “In my opinion,” says Schamburg, “if you’re not thinking about being sustainable as a designer, be afraid. there are certain administration costs, and materials and processes may cost a little more, but apart from the ethical considerations as a motivator, big corporates and government institutions want buildings that secure green accreditation and your product is going to be competitive if it adheres.” …

Dr Miles Park, Program Director Industrial Design at the University of NSW, says “To not engage with sustainability, businesses will increasingly find that they will not be meeting regulatory standards, consumer expectations and competitiveness with other businesses in the field.”

A sustainable  business plan, says Dr Park, embraces social and environmental responsibility and both the business operation and products and services produced need to be considered. He concedes the “how to” is complex “and there are a lot of gaps in the information”, but it is worthwhile persisting for peace of mind – and commercial advantage. …

pebble ottomans

S+A pebble ottomans

Marc Schamburg of Schamburg + Alvisse

Sydney-based company, Schamburg + Alvisse, produces a range of lounges chairs and tables. The majority of the company’s work is for the corporate market from $5000 to $1 million + contracts.

All the company’s seating has GECA accreditation which means Green star points awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). The company has always promoted the use of plantation and managed forest timbers and was the first Australian furniture company to obtain an FSC (International Forest Stewardship Council) certification, which supports sustainable timber content.

To obtain GECA and FSC certifications, the company met strict guidelines regarding aspects such as compliance for all materials, procedures, labour, documentation processes, training and labelling.

Schamburg + Alvisse are particularly proud of their ‘O-50′ chair which they describe as “the ultimate statement in ‘up-cycling’”. Inspired by a discarded original 1950s mould, the chair is made from Recopol, a material produced in Australia from post-consumer ABS plastics sourced from computer casings, telephones and printer cartridges into a solid new product through heat and pressure in an aluminium mould. …

excerpt from: DQ designer quarterly (vol. 38 Winter issue, 2010)

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The Australian Design Museum Exhibition

March 7, 2010

Poster Art and invitation design by Mark Gowing

Have you gone to a exhibition and wanted to touch, hold, feel or sit on the items displayed?

Curator Sarah King put on a show where you can touch and sit as well as purchase some of Australia’s “iconic, limited and prototype” 20th and 21st Century design works. The Australian Design Museum Exhibition was recently held at Shapiro Gallery, Sydney. The exhibition itself is a prototype of a program promoting diverse, historic Australian designs.

Iconic Aussie design included Adam Goodrem’s original Stitch Chair, Robert Foster’s Teapot for Alessi, Khai Liew’s solid oak table and chair set, and Blakeborough+King’s carbon fibre seat.

(pictured) 1994-1998 Stretch Stool, Club Table, Tall Table. Material: Hand moulded glass reinforced resin + corian.

Schamburg+Alvisse were asked to provide original Stretch stool and table prototypes from 1994-1998.

Brian Parkes of Object Gallery gave an inspiring introduction to the evening, some history on the pieces displayed, and discussed how Australian design is becoming well known and appreciated internationally. Notable items sold include an early Orgone Chair by Marc Newson. The impressive sale price of $75,000 reaffirms that rare design pieces are now seen as precious collectibles. Although the exhibition ended 07 March 2010, several rare, limited edition prints by Donald Fish, David Pidgeon, and Mark Gowing may purchased through the Museum’s Website.

credit : blog by Jane Riley

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Expendable or Valuable? State. Respond. Exhibition at Object

February 15, 2010

S+A 050 chairs - object exhibition

In our current struggle with climate change and global financial crises, will our values change? The idea that something is expendable or worthless is only a point of view. For the ethical and the aware, waste matter presents new opportunity. (Marc Schamburg)

Schamburg + Alvisse are included in the State.Respond. exhibition at Object Gallery, Surry Hills.

Object curated the exhibition to feature five design practices with a significant track record in engaging with design through the principles of ethics and sustainability. Evocative, provocative statements, images and examples formed each designer’s Response to a Statement…. “Recent debate within the design community would suggest that sustainability is, or should now be, a fundamental consideration for all designers……This is both a confronting and exciting time for designers… about the work they do, the way the do it and the impact it has on… our planet.” (Brian Parkes)

As an example of how Schamburg+Alvisse have used design to upcycle consumer e-waste* into new A-grade furniture products, Marc Schamburg installed five 050 chairs (pron. “Oh-50” as in Original Fifties) around a 3metre pile of plastic e-waste* – the material they recycle into new chair shells. The chairs exhibited were upholstered with post-production waste fabric, embroidered with Marc’s Response to the Object Statement.

“An idea that something is Expendable or Valuable is just a point of view”

“Design transforms objects of matter into Objects that Matter”

“Design is a kind of alchemy – a transformation of matter by which paradoxical results are achieved”

“Grandmother’s cupboards were filled with things that had been saved; brown paper, string, buttons, glass jars filled with nails and screws, little cotton spools…. To me, it was a consistent craft resource. To her, it was an ethic formed by hardship. (Marc Schamburg)

View Marc Schamburg speaking about the installation to the Centre for Learning and Innovation:

Marc Schamburg on State.Respond installation

To date, the 6,000 O-50 chairs produced have upcycled over 65 tonnes of raw e-waste* material. We like the idea of creating a sustainable product by reselling transformed waste back to the corporates that helped create it. A sizeable order for Westpac Bank (1200 chairs) was partly due to client interest in the O-50 chair’s strong eco-statement. The ultimate statement on upcycling, the 050 chair was born from a discarded original 1950’s mould, formed from Recopol, a recycled e-waste material. RecopolTM is a material created by reforming post consumer ABS plastics such as computer casings, telephones and printer cartridges into a new solid product within an aluminium mould.

The 050 chair is certified by GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia) and attains 100% Green Star Points in the GBCA Green Star Building Calculator.

*e-waste = electronic waste may be defined as all secondary computers, entertainment electronics, phones, and other items such as television sets and refrigerators, sold, donated, or discarded by their original owners. Recycling companies collect and shread the raw plastic casings into small pellets, so it can be remoulded through heat and pressure in an aluminium mould.

More about O-50 chair here.

Visit OBJECT Gallery here.

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Pebble Ottoman awarded Australian Design Mark 2010

February 9, 2010

Pebble Ottoman recently received the 2010 Australian Design Awards Design Mark.

pebble ottoman

At a time when slower, more meaningful and handcrafted furniture is gaining international recognition, Schamburg + Alvisse present Pebble Modular Ottomans as a unique new collection of eco seating in three sizes. GECA rated, Green Building Council Australia compliant(100% green star points), and FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) certified, Pebble cuts through the flood of greenwash claims to offer credible, independently verified environmental credentials. Inspired by the Australian landscape, conceived as a series of geometric river stones worn and rounded with time.

Pebble was inspired by the Australian landscape, conceived as a series of geometric river stones worn and rounded with time.

Key Product Features and Benefits

INNOVATION

  • Pebble is an innovative, modular seating system that invites users to actively shape their own environments. Modularity of furniture has been demonstrated to positively contribute to worker’s wellbeing, productivity, and communication.
  • an original version of the five-sided geometry often seen in natural ordering, whilst classic in proportion and minimal in sculptural aesthetic.
  • intelligent use of panel construction to imply ’roundedness’, maximize fabric versatility, yet be efficient with cutting of leather and fabric.
  • an innovative celebration of local handcrafted quality that cannot be matched by mass production or outsourcing to cheap manufacture.

pebble configurations

VISUAL / EMOTIONAL APPEAL

  • Pebble communicates playfulness, urging the user to interact though its modularity.
  • Evokes memory of smooth, natural forms. Familiar and organic.
  • An understated aesthetic celebrates proportional balance, strength and longevity.
  • The expressed, tailored paneling is reminiscent of handcrafted stitching.

QUALITY & MANUFACTURE

  • Pebble’s minimal form celebrates exceptional handcrafted finishing. This is not a piece that easily lends itself to cheap knock-offs, or large scale reproduction.
  • Sturdy, durable subframe and commercial upholstery materials.
  • Paneling and stitching configurations communicate quality and finesse.

HUMAN FACTORS: ERGONOMICS, SEMANTICS & SAFETY

  • Pebble meets Australian ergonomic standards and incorporates safe, user-friendly edges/corners.
  • GECA rated – safe materials: low toxicity, water-based glues, free from hazardous materials prohibited by Green standards.
  • Product clearly communicates its functionality and modularity to users.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

  • Uses low carbon, local manufacture, and chiefly renewable resources (100% FSC certified timber).
  • GECA rated (100% Greens Star points), safe materials, and eco performance. Incorporates water based glues, FSC certified timber, and GECA approved foams.
  • Complies with Green Building Council Australia standards for furniture. Current GBCA standards award PEBBLE Modular Ottoman 100% “eco preferable status”.
  • Metal-free construction reduces CO2 footprint and environmental degradation though extraction, processing and transport.

pebble - string + circle configuration

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Schamburg+Alvisse chairs and lounges GECA certified

December 20, 2009

geca certified furnitureSchamburg+Alvisse announce that our seating products now achieve a 100% point score in the GBCA (Green Building Council of Australia) Green Star Calculator.

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