Milan 09: At the Milan Furniture Fair next week, Japanese architect Shigeru Ban will launch a furniture system designed for manufacturers Artek.

The system comprises L-shaped components that can be combined to make various items of furniture.

The pieces are made of a composite material, primarily composed of recycled paper and plastic.

Here's some more information from Artek:

--

ARTEK IN MILAN ´09

Salone Internazionale del Mobile, April 22-27, 2009 Hall 12 Booth C 14

The catchword for the future of design is intelligent consumption. As the current economic situation pushes consumers towards more conscious choices, rational thinking and sustainable values will become vitally important and relevant.

In the spirit of its radical founders, Artek invests in materials research and engineering, in the development of systems and standards, and in long-lasting design.

10-UNIT SYSTEM BY SHIGERU BAN

Designed by Shigeru Ban, the 10-UNIT SYSTEM is a novel furniture concept that will be launched in Milan in April 2009. The fully modular system is based on L-shaped units that can be combined in all sorts of ways to make furniture – a chair, a table, a bench. Putting furniture together and disassembling it is made easy by the ingenious yet simple design. The standard colours of the 10-UNIT SYSTEM are black and white; other colours are available on request.

SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL INNOVATION

The highly ecological and ethical 10-UNIT SYSTEM is made from UPM ProFi, an environmentally innovative wood plastic composite. Its principal raw materials are recycled paper and plastic. The composite has proved to be tough and humidity resistant. It is an environmentally sustainable material that can be disposed of by incineration, or recycled back into the production process. All materials in the composite are non-toxic.

CONTINUITY OF A SUCCESSFUL CO-OPERATION

Artek, Shigeru Ban and UPM continue their collaboration from earlier years. "Space of Silence", the Artek Pavilion designed by Shigeru Ban for the Milan Triennale Garden in spring 2007, was built from the UPM ProFi wood plastic composite. The pavilion was based on a structural unit that was repeated multiple times to form an elongated exhibition space. The Artek Pavilion was extraordinary proof of the efficiency of systems thinking and repetition, distinctive of Ban’s architecture and design. The pavilion was sold at Sotheby’s sale of Important 20th Century Design in 2008.

Artek is renowned as being one of the most innovative contributors to modern design, building on the design heritage of Alvar Aalto. The high standard and long life of its products attest to Artek's ideology of environmental responsibility and sustainable development.

See all our stories from Milan in our special MIlan 2009