Studio Profile

Schamburg + Alvisse is a Sydney based furniture design studio set up by architect Michael Alvisse and interior designer Marc Schamburg.

The company views design as a powerful tool to build physical, social + spiritual “ergonomics”: it is integral to human well-being. We are less interested in stand-alone objects and more interested in shaping the space and dynamics between people.

Creating their first product over 10 years ago, Schamburg+Alvisse continue to lead Australia’s standard for sustainable, responsible, well designed and locally manufactured commercial furniture. They have a steadfast commitment to creating eco-furniture that fulfils multiple goals: minimises environmental impact, satisfies the practical considerations of commercial use, and delights the eye through elegant form.

Professionally, Schamburg + Alvisse seek ways to build on existing partnerships and to create successful new ones. Relationships built on ethics + innovation are the foundations of the Schamburg + Alvisse philosophy.

Clients include major corporate companies, universities, embassies, museums, hospitals, schools, libraries, defence force facilities, airports, hotels, bars, restaurants, and residential homes.

the founders

Marc Schamburg (b. 1966) Interior Designer (Ba. Design – 1987) (U.T.S)
Michael Alvisse (b. 1963) Architect (Ba. Architecture – 1985 – W.A.I.T. (now Curtin University)

Michael Alvisse (left) + Marc Schamburg (right), photo: Anthony Browell

achievements in Australian design

S+A is one of the most trusted eco-furniture designer/makers in Australia.

In 2000, Schamburg + Alvisse led the charge of young Australian designers at Milan’s Salone Satellite, an international showcase of emerging product designers. We exhibited in Milan’s Triennale Museum, and have also been featured in California’s San Jose Museum of Art. Our work is profiled in the accompanying book “ Blobjects + Beyond” by Steven + Mara Skov Holt.

Locally, we have exhibited at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum and Object Gallery.

S+A was awarded a prestigious Standards Australia Design Mark in 2004 and 2005, the Powerhouse Museum’s Acquisition Prize 2004, and the Lifestyle Channel Design Merit Award 2005.

In 2007, The Bulletin magazine listed S+A as one of Australia’s “Smart 100: brightest and best” for their contribution to sustainable design. The studio has also been featured in “Designing the 21st Century”, a book profiling the world’s 100 most “forward thinking designers” by German arthouse publishers Taschen, along with French Vogue, German Elle Deco, Wallpaper Magazine and Japan Elle Décor.

In 2009, Indesign Magazine honoured S+A for our contribution to Australian Design as part of their prestigious Design Luminary series.

Most recently. The Sydney Magazine include S+A in the Top 100 Influential People of 2009, as recognition of our studio’s commitment to design excellence, industry contribution and championing of sustainable practices.

eco case study : O-50 chair

050 chairs at Object Gallery: State.Respond. Exhibition (2010)

As an example of how design can reduce landfill through the upcycling of consumer e-waste* into new A-grade designer products, Schamburg+Alvisse created the O-50 chair (pron. “Oh-50” as in Original Fifties).

The ultimate statement on upcycling, the O-50 chair was born from a discarded original 1950’s mould and formed from Recopol, a recycled e-waste material. Recopol 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.

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

To date, O-50 chairs produced have upcycled over 65 tonnes of raw e-waste* material. The idea of creating a sustainable product and reselling transformed waste back to the corporates that helped create it is very gratifying. A sizeable order for Westpac Bank (1200 chairs) was partly due to client interest in the O-50 chair’s strong eco-statement.

The O-50 chair is certified by GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia) and attains 100% Green

Star Points in the GBCA Green Star Building Calculator.

awards + recognition

2010 Australian International Design Awards – Design Mark : Standards Australia

2009 The Sydney Magazine “Top 100 Influential People”

2009 Indesign Magazine Design Luminary : contribution to Australian Design

2008 Australia’s first furniture maker to achieve FSC ( Forestry Stewardship Council ) certification.

2008 Certification from Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) for all seating products

2008 S+A featured in Freestyle exhibition in Milan’s Triennale Museum.

2007 Winner: 2007 Australian International Design Awards ( Furniture )

2007 The Bulletin Magazine “Smart 100: Australia’s Best & Brightest”

2007 One of Australia’s first furniture makers to be certified by Good Environmental Choice Australia

2005 Lifestyle Channel Design Merit Award

2005 Australian International Design Awards – Design Mark : Standards Australia

2004 Australian International Design Awards – Design Mark : Standards Australia

2004 Powerhouse Museum Acquisition Prize for Sustainability

1995 Artists & Industry (Melbourne) – Multiple Finalist for design entries

1994 Australia Cognita (Melbourne) – Multiple Finalist for design entries

exhibitions:

Secrets & Stories Object Gallery ( Sydney) 2010

State.Respond. Object Gallery ( Sydney) 2010

Freestyle Milan Triennale Museum 2008

Freestyle Melbourne Museum 2007

Freestyle Object Gallery ( Sydney) 2007

The New Fluidity in Design San Jose Museum of Art (California) 2005

Australian Design Awards Powerhouse Museum [Sydney] 2001

Eco-Logic Powerhouse Museum [Sydney] 2001

Designing Minds Object Gallery [Sydney] 2000

Olympic Arts Festival Craftsouth Gallery [Adelaide] 2000

Salone Satellite Milan Salone del Mobili [Milan Furniture Fair] 2000

4+1 Powerhouse Museum [Sydney] 1999

Artists + Industry 95 Artists + Industry Gallery, Melbourne 1995

Artists + Industry 94 Melbourne Stock Exchange 1994

international publications

2005 dec ID Magazine [USA] “Stop Playing With Yourself”

2001 oct French Vogue “Idees Lumineuses”

2001 jan Elle Décor [Germany] “New Lighting Product”

2000 sep Wohnen [Austria] “Milan : Sydney 612”

2000 jul-aug Interni [Italy] “Giovani designer”

2000 jul-aug Ideales Heim [Switzerland] “Urban Life made in Australia”

2000 june Elle Décor [Italy] “profile: Schamburg+Alvisse”

2000 may Elle Décor [Japan] “Designer profile: Schamburg+Alvisse”

1999 jul-aug Wallpaper* [London] “Golden years”

1999 jan-feb Wallpaper* [London] “Design feature: stretch range”

books

2007 Sydney Design Guide [USA] Listed in top 5 furniture practices

2005 Blobjects + Beyond [USA] Stephen + Mara Skov Holt

2001 Designing the 21st Century Taschen Books [Germany]

investment in public education:

Schamburg + Alvisse are active contributors to public education in the power of design, business
ethics and sustainability. This is expressed within the design industry by volunteering for mentorship
programs, student education, cross-industry knowledge sharing, and public speaking.

The studio consistently reaches beyond the working design community to invest in the leaders of
tomorrow: primary, secondary + tertiary students.

Since 2000, S+A have partnered with leading education institutions with an emphasis on practical,
hands-on design workshops where students actively engage in exploring:
- Closed Loop cradle-to-cradle design and production strategies.
- Systems theory – interactions within & between complex social, environmental and financial systems.
- Maximising material + energy efficiency via intelligent design.
- Using design to reduce cultural obsolescence (fad-based consumption).
- Community-based sustainability strategies.

2010 Open Studios Program Public design education program

2010 Object Centre for Contemporary Design: Artists in Residence Dulwich Hill High School: ”Secrets + Stories”

2010 Centre for Learning & Innovation Schools education 10 minute video production

2010 State.Respond. lecture volunteer public speaking : public education

2009 FIAA ( Furniture Institute) National body volunteer judge for design awards

2009 Indesign Launch Pad volunteer judge for mentor program

2009 Green School (Bali, Indonesia): Collaborative sustainability project

2009 Fellowship education Centre for Sustainable Leadership.

2008 Indesign Launch Pad volunteer judge for mentor program

2008 Springboard Local body Mentorship for emerging Australian designers with the Australian Design Unit

2007 Centre for Contemporary Design Primary Schools Sustainability Workshop

2006 Tamarama Surf Life Saving Board member ; director of education

2004 Design Institute Australia National body public speaker: ethics + design

2004 FIAA ( Furniture Institute) National body volunteer judge for design awards

2003 Sydney Esquisse Sydney volunteer judge for Sustainability Awards

2003 DIA Workshop National Museum, ACT public speaking: design innovation

2003 University of Technology Sydney: Chairman, Industry Advisory Committee Department of Built Environment

2002 AG Ideas Conference, Melbourne volunteer public speaking: design + ethics

2002 Standards Australia National body volunteer judge for Australian Design Awards

2002 Gallery 4A Sydney volunteer fund raising committee member

2002 Designex Expo Sydney volunteer public speaking: design + ethics

2002 Standards Australia National body volunteer judge for Australian Design Awards

2001 DIA Design Ins of Aust Queensland volunteer public speaking: design innovation

2001 DIA Design Ins of Aust Canberra design innovation

2001 Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Student Master Class: ” The Power of 3″

2000 Designex Expo Sydney public speaker: design + ethics

community work:

2010 Food Wine & Design Charity Events Marc Schamburg ; Creative Director

2004 Surf Lifesaving Australia Michael Alvisse : National body volunteer patrol

television + radio features:

2009 Mediacorp Channel News (Singapore) Green Countdown

2008 Sydney Morning Herald Australia Top Line Living – the S+A story

2007 Foxtel Lifestyle Channel Ian Thorpe : Australia Action Earth interview

2005 Radio Australia The New Sustainability in design

2003 ABC Radio National (Australia) The Australian home + Designer products

2002 Foxtel: Lifestyle Channel Home – the S+A Story

2001 Foxtel Lifestyle Channel By Design – the S+A Story

2001 ABC Radio National (Australia) Sustainable Techonology – Recopol story

2000 Milan Morning News (Milan) Highlights of the Salone del Mobili Fair

studio milestones

1993: Marc Schamburg (interior designer) + Michael Alvisse (architect) embark on their first experiment in furniture – the design + production of the Stretch series of tables + seating. Initially intended only for their own home and as gifts for friends , the Stretch series remains one of the studio’s most popular pieces.

1994 S+A launch the Stretch stool at “Artists + Industry 94” exhibition (Melbourne).

1999 Wallpaper* magazine declare: “it is no surprise we love [Schamburg + Alvisse’s] versatile seating + tables”.

1999 S+A commission an independent eco-report of the successful Stretch stool. The report confirms concerns that the surfboard resin used, while commonly used and complying with Australian law + standards, is a likely neurotoxin for the craftspeople involved. S+A decide to discontinue the Stretch stool until a safer production process can be found.

1999: Gap USA see S+A article in Wallpaper* magazine, and request that S+A furnish their US stores with $AUS 1 million worth of the now discontinued Stretch stool. S+A face a dilemma: sell out or stick to their guns? HINT: S+A still fly “cattle class”!

1999 S+A invited to exhibit at Powerhouse Museum’s (Sydney) “4+1” exhibition.

2000 S+A invited by Milan’s Salone del Mobili to exhibit in the Salone Satellite for emerging international design.

2000 The international debut of S+A at Milan 2001 generates enormous interest from the international design press. S+A are given strong editorial support by Italy’s design bibles Interni, Abitare and Elle Décor; Japan’s Elle Décor; German Elle Décor; Sweden’s Forum magazines and Switzerland’s Ideales Heim.

2000 S+A exhibit in the Olympic Arts Festival “Designing Minds” exhibition at Object Gallery.

2000 S+A release the 050 chair and 025 chair using an innovative new eco-technology using recycled computer, printer + phone casings as the basis of a new + durable new resin called Recopol.

2001 International arthouse book specialists Taschen (Germany) feature S+A, who are listed amongst the world’s 100 “most forward-thinking” product designers in “Designing the 21st Century”. The Book is launched at premiere international design event 100% Design in London.

2001 Powerhouse Museum (Sydney) invite S+A to exhibit in “Eco Logic” exhibition.

2002 Global publication French Vogue features S+A.

2004 S+A release the Miss Molly chair, Australia’s first commercial chair to use timber sourced from independently certified FSC eco-forests. Miss Molly wins Standards Australia Design Mark and Powerhouse Museum’s Acquisition prize.

2005 S+A exhibit in San Jose Museum of Art ( San Francisco) – “blobjects + beyond – the fluidity in

design”, and featured in the accompanying book “Blobjects + Beyond” by curators Stepehn &

Mara Skov Holt.

2005 S+A awarded Standards Australia Design Mark award for Smooth Armchair.

2005 ID Magazine ( New York) features S+A’s SPWY piece in their “New + Notable” review of international design.

2007 The Bulletin magazine nominates S+A for “Smart 100: Australia’s brightest and best”, for their contribution to sustainable design and manufacture.

2007 Standards Australia’s award S+A “2007 Australian Design Award ( Furniture ).

2008 S+A become one of Australia’s first furniture makers to achieve independent eco certification by Good Environmental Choice Australia.

2008 S+A become Australia’s first furniture maker to achieve FSC ( Forestry Stewardship Council ) certification.

milestone projects : major clients

Australian Embassy Berlin & Japan

Attorney Generals Department

Melbourne Stock Exchange

Foxtel

LaTrobe Valley Court

Chatswood Chase

Caltex

ANZ Bank

Commonwealth Bank

David Jones

NRMA House, Sydney

Renzo Piano Workshop

Bang & Olufsen

Sydney Opera House

Australian Consulate, Shanghai

Sydney Olympic VIP Lounge

Westpac

Qantas

Energex

AON Melbourne

Salvation Army

Austin Hospital

Fairfax Media

The National Gallery of Australia

RAAF Amberley

Brisbane International Airport

Adelaide International Airport

The Melbourne Museum

Perth District Court

Perth State Library

Department of Child Safety