Sustainability, inclusiveness, climate action force us to ask ourselves a question: is
there an ethics of what we manufacture? An industrial design ethics?
Before everyone started questioning the consequences of how things are done and
therefore the impact of design on the world, it was implied that the moral responsibility of a product was solely on the end user.
The epochal change is the shift of responsibility to designers and manufacturers.
For pba such responsibility is the starting point for taking action: ethics even before
use, and morality is part of how things are done. The responsibility of a product lies with whoever designs it and manufactures it.
Francesca Masiero, pba’s President: “pba is a proud women owned and women led
company. We are grateful to Gensler, the leading architectural firm in the world, for
opening to pba, an excellence in manufacturing, the door of The Museum of Modern Art”. “pba creates inclusive design in a work environment that cannot be anything but inclusive and equal: we reward excellence in quality and in relationships, we are
every day aware that people are our most important assets. We are proud that MoMA accepted pba donation placing our Hand Sanitizer Covers created in collaboration with Gensler serving as product design consultant throughout the Museum. To portray the Hand Sanitizer Cover in the halls of MoMA we looked for a point of view that would combine executive excellence with inclusive vision and we met Federica Carlet, a photographer of Italian origins who lives and works in New York City. Federica gave us an additional emotion by giving birth to her child just a few days before the shooting”. Erica Anesi, pba’s CEO.
When the best intentions are the reason for doing, exchanging thoughts, actions and missions are with the best people: people who always wanted to make the world a better place, even when it was not trending; designers who, while designing a product, are from the start concerned with the water of the river - that they want to drink again, with the fish in the sea – that they want to see jump, with the life of the people involved who they want to make feel included and valued. Only by working with the best people, who know that behaving in one way rather than another can change the world for better or worse, can these and other new, increasingly ambitious and sustainable goals, be achieved.
“The Museum of Modern Art is committed to being a leader in sustainability and the
intelligent use of resources,” said Jean Savitsky, Director, Real Estate and Sustainability at The Museum of Modern Art. “We are proud to work with pba, who shares the same commitment to sustainability, to install their Hand Sanitizer Covers throughout the Museum.” “We are pleased to partner with MoMA in weaving their efforts to prioritize health and well-being with a visually integrated experience for visitors and staff ” says Maddy Burke-Vigeland, Gensler Principal.
The Hand Sanitizer Cover collection has been awarded the METROPOLISLIKES
NYCXDESIGN.
The collection is made of 316L stainless steel with 25% post-consumer recycled content and is available in different models — including ADA-compliant models — and finishes. The Hand Sanitizer Covers have been designed and produced to be fully disassembled, therefore 100% recyclable at the end of their useful life.
pba is the premier brand of AISI 316L stainless steel, the hardest, most resistant and
elastic of steels, of polyamide 6, the most noble of thermoplastic resins, of aluminum EN-AW 6, smooth and durable, and of antimicrobial copper. We develop our main themes: door and window levers, pulls and locking pulls, millwork pulls, hands-free pulls, and all the accessories for a “safe life without barriers”, the Design for All bathroom accessories, the Hand Sanitizer Cover and the Hand-Rail collections. We believe that objects reflect a space, embody its attitude, illusions and possibilities; we know that bringing a new form into the world can affect the life of everyone.
pba has always collaborated with the most important international designers to develop unique products. pba has been nominated with the Red Dot Award for the handle IT.150 and has been awarded for the handle Elica. The lever Elica has also received a nomination for the Compasso D’Oro Award. The locking pull collection KLock has been also nominated for the Compasso D’oro Award. Programma CAP, designed on the concept “to hand the cap” has been awarded with the ADI Ceramics & Bathroom Award and won the third award at Global Future Design Awards. The Everyone Millwork pulls collection competed as finalist for the IDEA award. The Hand Sanitizer Cover collection won the #METROPOLISLIKESNYCXDESIGN and Health Program is an Interior Design magazine NYCXDESIGN awards finalist in the Health + Wellness category. The Platform Series is a Global Future Design Awards Winner.
Gensler is a global architecture, design, and planning firm with 50 locations across
Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Founded in 1965, the firm serves more than 3,300 active clients in virtually every industry. Guided by determined optimism, we believe the power of design can spark positive change and create a future that promotes equity, resilience, and wellbeing for everyone.
Team:
Manufacturers: pba
Photographer: Federica Carlet
