The new seat with a lean and slender form has been developed for Expo Milano 2015 by Miralles Tagliabue EMBT in collaboration with Italcementi Group.
It is a work of art made of i.design Effix, the innovative very high performance mortar produced by Italcementi which is capable of combining the durability of a cementitious material with the workability of a plastic material.
The work is called Minamora, a name which, in Italian, conjures up the auspicious concept of falling in love "M'innamoro", but actually comes from the Japanese word "Minamo" which means water surfaces.
The concept of Minamora, in fact, revolves around the image of Water, free form, or rather free from form, which is able to generate waves, react to the wind and interact with the surrounding world by creating its own flows. Another feature is the "suspension" between the two layers of the seat and the space that is created at the centre of the seat itself.
Thanks to the use of i.design EFFIX, it was possible to accompany the curvilinear and fluctuating shape of Minamora producing the two layers of the seat with a thickness of just 4-6 cm.
And, as studio EMBT cares to emphasize "we deliberately designed and engineered an alternation of voids to give people who sit on these benches the feeling of being surrounded by water surfaces."
The particular shape of the benches Minamora provides, inter alia, the ability to sit facing one another. A gesture that calls on many occasions the eating together, in context, the Expo, dedicated to "feed the world" also as a time of sharing, of celebration, of community. In many cultures, in fact, eating together is one of the central moments of social and family. Here's how architecture and design can be at the service of the human need for connection: creating a space that comes alive and lives in dialogue and togetherness.
i.design EFFIX provides added value to the architectural projects for interiors and exteriors in urban environments: facilities for design stores, private residences, corporate offices as well as public amenities. The material is easy to work, making it particularly suitable for the construction of small prestigious architectural elements, streamline, slender, and with smooth or worked finishes. Plasticity and performance that allow it to tackle difficult new challenges, such as the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2015.The biodynamic cement used for the outer rendering of the building is, in fact, a new formulation material and a direct "descendant" of i.design Effix.
