Massproductions' modular fair stand uses grid structure to guarantee easy reuse
More than 90 prefabricated plaster tiles are arranged to form an exhibition stand designed by French architects Julien Renault and Paul Vaugoyeau for furniture brand Massproductions.
The installation's modular structure makes it easily transportable and adaptable to a new environment so that, after its stint at the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair, it can be reused at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York.
"Up until about five years ago myself, my co-founder Chris Martin and our operations manager were building and demolishing our stands ourselves," explained Massproductions' CEO Magnus Elebäck.
"So we came up-close with the harsh reality of what happens when the fair is over. Learning from this, we have always looked for a reusability aspect, a modular thinking that means we can utilise most of the stand at another fair."
After a flat-packed back wall system from the brand's 2018 stand was used in 2019 in both Stockholm and New York, this year the team turned to Renault and Vaugoyeau for a more architectural approach.
"We started with the constraint of a 120 centimetre by 120 centimetre grid and designed every part of the stand in keeping with that constraint," Vaugoyeau told Dezeen.
"We chose the proportions specifically because they minimise offcuts and make a lot of sense for transport, because they fit in the crates that Massproductions already use to ship their products. Aesthetically, the grid also makes the placement of items in on the stand quite rational."
Amid the flurry of the fair, the designers hope the clean, white structure is able to recreate the calm of entering a museum while taking a stand against "today's fast-paced obsession with novelties and growth".
The building blocks themselves can be arranged and rearranged to form everything from walls to dividers and podiums.
"A design that is based on a grid is much easier to adapt to a new context," explained Renault.
"Every trade show space is different in terms of size and proportion. With the grid, you can adapt the design but it will still look consistent."
"This even includes the lighting system we chose," added Vaugoyeau. "The modular LED lights can be reconfigured into a new size or pattern very easily and don't need an electrician to be connected."
While about half of the building blocks will be re-used at ICFF, the other half will either be stored away for future shows or used as a design element in Massproductions' showroom.
At the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair, the stand was used to present the brand's latest product release – the outdoor sofa Roadie which won the award for best product.
The fair played host to a number of reusable stands this year, with Note Design Studio creating an award-winning installation using uncemented bricks for furniture brand Vestre as well as a recyclable stand for flooring manufacturer Tarkett.