Material ConneXion to present “Beyond the Surface” an exhibition by
Forms+Surfaces, from October 1-30, 2009
Exhibition of unique architectural “Screens” to debut innovative new materials for exterior,
transitional and interior spaces
New York, NY, July 30, 2009 – Global materials consultancy Material ConneXion® will present an exhibition of new products and groundbreaking materials by Forms+Surfaces®, one of the world’s most advanced design and manufacturing resources, in its New York City showroom at 60 Madison Avenue, from Thursday, October 1 through Friday, October 30.
As part of Material ConneXion’s ongoing commitment to presenting exhibitions that explore influential developments of new materials and their potential uses, Beyond the Surface will introduce Forms+Surfaces’ revolutionary new Screens program and two of its new proprietary materials. Together, these innovations highlight significant breakthroughs made during the company’s recent exploration into transparency, texture and dimension.
Building on the company’s rich, 45-year history of creating beautiful, high-performance products for public spaces – from New York City’s Hudson River Park and 7 World Trade Center to commercial venues for Apple and Toys”R”Us – Forms+Surfaces Screens program will equip the A&D community with new and limitless ways to shape the built environment.
B y offering extraordinary three-dimensional capabilities through innovative combinations of form, texture and light, the Screens respond to a growing trend in how public spaces are used and defined. Says Forms+Surfaces lead designer Jason Flannery, “public spaces are becoming more and more about the transitions we make as we go about our daily lives. The distinctions between interior and exterior are blurring, as are the distinctions between public and private, large scale and small, domestic and global. Life today takes place in these transition zones. Our ability to give architects and designers the tools they need to shape the public’s experience is key.”
Drawing upon the company’s long-standing tradition of helping specifiers on a custom basis, as well as upon its extensive surfaces palette, which includes a wide array of high-performance finishes, patterns and surface treatment options, Forms+Surfaces’ Screens will enable architects and designers to create a highly custom look without the logistical or budgetary constraints typical of a custom system.
This tremendous aesthetic and functional versatility is matched by the Screens’ far-reaching applicability: They can be used as details of a building façade or for outdoor fencing, windscreens, sun screens and green screens. They can be specified as room dividers, partitions, privacy screens or other space-defining features. Or they can be incorporated into wall panels, columns, counter fronts, elevator interiors, doors, lighting, furniture, railing systems and windows. Indoors, outdoors or anywhere in between, Forms+Surfaces Screens open up an untapped multi-dimensional spectrum of space-shaping, light-directing possibilities.
“Our goal is to break existing boundaries and take architects and designers beyond the realm of what they’re accustomed to seeing or imagining when they think of materials,” says Forms+Surfaces designer Kati Cesareo. “Forms+Surfaces offers not only a means for creating landmark interior, exterior and transitional spaces, but, in essence, a means of looking beyond two-dimensional solutions.”
“Beyond the Surface” will also premier two of the company’s new high-performance materials, which incorporate multiple technological advancements developed exclusively by Forms+Surfaces. Among these new additions is Bonded Quartz™, a unique polymer matrix composite composed of quartz microspheres bonded together in a tough FRP-reinforced resin matrix.
Unlike anything else on the market, Bonded Quartz™ joins the company’s long list of material innovations, which includes Stainless Steel, Fused Metal™, Bonded Metal™, Aero™ Aluminum and Patterned glass. A beautiful and functionally versatile material, it is designed to be used for doors, elevator interiors, wall systems, column covers, custom applications and other architectural accents. Its standard color is white, though custom colors and surface effects are also options, as are numerous patterns and casing types.
All of the innovative new offerings to be presented in Beyond the Surface have been conceived and developed by Forms+Surfaces Design Studio. A collaborative and geographically diverse team, the Design Studio is dedicated to researching the wants and needs of A&D firms around the world in order to leverage existing designs, materials and capabilities while devising new ways of defining space. The Design Studio also works in tandem with the company's in-house Sustainability Team. Together, they monitor the environmental performance of the company's SURFACES to ensure that products qualify for International projects facing strict standards and budgets. Offering additional ongoing support, the group is readily available to provide product-specific environmental impact data and help specifiers navigate other sustainability issues.
According to Forms+Surfaces Design Studio Strategist Mary Wessely, by partnering with Material ConneXion to launch its latest offerings, Forms+Surfaces seeks to highlight its position as a “global design resource with products, capabilities and expertise that give specifiers exciting new ways to turn their vision into reality. The exhibition at Material ConneXion allows Forms+Surfaces to showcase what we're doing, where we're going and how our efforts open up truly new worlds of possibilities. Its intent is to be as inspiring as it is informative."
Exhibition Hours: Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm
For images and more information please contact:
Material ConneXion
Sarah Natkins, Director of Marketing & Communications
E. snatkins@materialconnexion.com
T. 212-842-1509
About Forms+Surfaces®:
Forms+Surfaces is one of the world’s most advanced design and manufacturing resources. With a focus on creating beautiful, high-performance products for public spaces, the company's interrelated product lines—surfaces, walls, elevator doors and interiors, doors, hardware, lighting, site furniture, receptacles, railings and signage—are constantly evolving to maximize new materials, processes and manufacturing technologies. Since its founding more than 45 years ago, Forms+Surfaces has built an unsurpassed global reputation for beautiful designs, sophisticated materials and a compelling array of architectural products that can be tailored to suit the aesthetic and performance needs of any environment. In addition to large customer service and manufacturing facilities on the East and West Coasts of the United States, the company has an international sales force with offices in Singapore and Dubai and a growing in-house sustainability team able to help specifiers navigate regional and global environmental standards, provide environmental impact data and consult on other sustainability issues. www.forms-surfaces.com
About Material ConneXion:
Material ConneXion is a global materials consultancy that helps companies innovate through smart materials thinking. Built on the belief that Every Idea Has A Material Solution™, Material ConneXion is the trusted advisor to Fortune 500s, smaller forward-thinking companies, and government agencies seeking a creative, competitive, or sustainable edge through strategic material selections. With offices in New York, Bangkok, Cologne, Milan and Daegu, Korea, Material ConneXion's international network of specialists provides a global, cross-industry perspective on materials and their potential uses. Material ConneXion maintains the largest subscription-based Materials Library of innovative materials and processes in the world—an indispensable asset to a wide audience of designers and architects and a vital tool for the development of design, industry and economy.
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