Sustainable design is more popular than ever, given the increasing number of incredible projects that use products that are less harmful to the environment. At the
Madrid Design Festival , this trend was not left out, and was represented by two exhibitions that made visitors rethink the excessive use of wood and climate change:
“SLOW” and
“Natural Connections” . Both exhibitions were promoted by the
American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) with the participation of big names in European design, such as
Inma Bermúdez, Moritz Krefter, Álvaro Catalán de Ocón and Jorge Penádes .
Hardwood is the star of both exhibitions. This material is made from some specific species such as
tulipwood, red oak, maple and/or cherry ; through
more sustainable production processes and end-use of this underutilized material.
When we think about preserving the environment, the choice of wood will have a long-term impact, as
excessive dependence on a limited selection of species ends up generating supply tensions , hence the collective responsibility to use the diversity of raw materials offered. by nature. In the case of North American hardwood forests, maple, cherry, and red oak
represent more than 40% of all planted timber , so it's vital not to ignore them. As its net volume increases by
63 million m³ every year, the volume of wood used to manufacture all the pieces in the "
SLOW " exhibition, for example, is regenerated while you finish reading this paragraph.
For David Venables, Director of AHEC in Europe, through the exhibitions it is also possible to show examples that will serve as inspiration for other designers to continue seeking a greener path in production. “Following the market in recent years, it is possible to observe that, little by little, the concept of '
slow design ' has been gaining ground. We want to show how this can be put into practice and how we can think about production with wood without - or almost without - disposal, with timeless and non-obsolete pieces, designed for a circular consumption and production cycle”, says the expert. [April-see-also]W3siaWQiOjE0MDYwOSwidGl0bGUiOiJFc3NhIGNhc2EgZGUgY2FtcG8gJiN4RTk7IHVtIHJlZiYjeEZBO2dpbyBlbSBtZWlvICYjeEUwOyBuYXR1cmV6YSBwYXJhIGEgZmFtJiN4 RUQ7bGlhIn0seyJpZCI6MTQwNjQ0LCJ0aXRsZSI6IkNBU0FDT1IgcmVhbGl6YSBjb21wZW5zYSYjeEU3OyYjeEUzO28gZGUgY2FyYm9ubyBjb20gcGxhbnRpbyBkZSAxLjA4NyAmI3hFMTtydm9 y ZXMifSx7ImlkIjoxNDA1ODMsIn mQgc29sdWNpb25hbSBxdWVzdCYjeEY1O2VzIGF0dWFpcyBjb20gZGVzaWduIn1d[/abril-see-tam bem]
