Student designs go from greenhouse to global exhibition
Concordia University’s greenhouse and the Department of Design and Computation Arts forged a mutually beneficial relationship this past term. As a result, the greenhouse got much-needed items such as benches and planters and the undergraduate students created work that will be on display this week at the Montreal International Design Show, which attracts industry professionals from around the world.
Past projects destined for the design show, known by its French acronym SIDIM, have usually been prototypes. This year the ante was upped considerably when the students aimed to respond to the specific customer needs of the Henry F. Hall Building rooftop greenhouse.
“The students worked with a real-world client and real-world constraints,” says Carmela Cucuzzella, the assistant professor who taught the sustainability-oriented ecology and 3D design class (DART448) that produced the work.
Students gained hands-on experience while implementing ecological principles to all aspects of the designs, from considering the source of the materials used to the impact of their eventual disposal. And they had to thoroughly test their projects for usability and solidity; those that didn’t measure up didn’t go to the customer.
The fact the greenhouse and the class shared the objective of sustainability made them perfect partners. “There was a real synergy in terms of the vision of what the furniture should be like,” says Cucuzzella.
While the pieces her class designed and built may last for years in the greenhouse, those selected to appear under the Quebec Eco-Design banner at SIDIM will have just a few days in the spotlight. On May 24 and 25, the show is open to professional participants and is open on Saturday, May 26 to the general public.
Concordia has been given floor space at the design show since 2002, thanks to the initiative of Martin Racine, an associate professor in the Department of Design and Computation Arts from whom Cucuzzella took over the DART448 class. The Université de Montréal and Université de Québec à Montréal are also participating this year.
SIDIM organizers anticipate 20,000 design professionals, business professionals, consumers and journalists will come to see the 300 or so exhibits, and to network at the 24th edition of the high-profile trade show, which is being held at Place Bonaventure.
“It’s a great opportunity to meet people in the world of interior design and a great platform for students to showcase their ideas around sustainability philosophy,” says Gabrielle Turcotte, a third-year design student. Her project, a wood bench featuring inset planters at each end, will be exhibited at SIDIM.
Turcotte is pleased her hard work will not collect dust on a shelf – just dirt in a greenhouse. “I’m happy that something I made will be used by many Concordians for years to come,” she says.
What: Quebec Eco-Design at the Montreal International Design Show (SIDIM)
When: Saturday, May 26, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Place Bonaventure (800 de la Gauchetière St. W.)
Cost: Online – $13 adults, $8 students; At the door – $20 adults, $15 students and seniors.
A catalogue of all the pieces submitted for exhibition is being prepared for the opening of SIDIM; a PDF version is expected to be available online shortly.
Related links:
• Concordia’s Department of Design and Computation Arts
• SIDIM 2012
• Azure magazine show preview
• "For design and sustainability, the place to be is here" — Concordia University Magazine, May 22, 2012