Dezeen teamed up with luxury kitchen appliances brand Gaggenau to host a talk about sustainability with BIG, Søren Rose and Foster + Partners during Milan design week 2022.

Called Sustainability and Longevity in Design, the talk debated whether products and objects should be designed to outlive their users or designed for disassembly, as well as exploring the changing role of designers and how they can become custodians of a more sustainable future.

Hosted by Dezeen's editor-at-large Amy Frearson, the panel featured director of interiors at architecture studio BIG Francesca Portesine, Danish designer Søren Rose and head of industrial design at British firm Foster + Partners Mike Holland.

The talk took place in the conservatory of Milan's historic Villa Necchi Campiglio, where the brand has created a 360-square-foot interactive installation called A Statement of Form to showcase its highest-grade appliances.

Rose is a designer, entrepreneur and founder of his eponymous design studio. Based in Copenhagen and New York, he has designed products for furniture brands such as Gandía Blasco, De La Espada, Muuto and Menu.

In addition, Rose also runs a joint-venture between his studio and BIG, which specialises in creating sustainable tiny houses designed by renowned architects.

Portesine is director of interiors at Danish architecture firm BIG. Her body of work includes projects that span the retail, residential, commercial, educational and cultural sectors.

Holland heads up the industrial design studio at Foster + Partners, creating furniture, lighting, transportation and building products that are optimised for their performance and offer maximum longevity.

The talk was the first in a series of three hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with Gaggenau running from 7 to 9 June, which are moderated by Frearson.

Subsequent discussions include a talk about designing kitchens that form "the hub of the home" on Wednesday 8 June, which features a panel including Dada's director of product development Andrea Molteni and designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg.

On Thursday 9 June, Design Haus Liberty founder Dara Huang and architect Michel Rojkind of Rojkind Arquitectos will feature in a talk on how their practices have changed over the course of the pandemic.

A Statement of Form is on show between 7 and 11 June during Milan design week, daily from 11am to 5pm. To visit, register at www.gaggenau.com.

You can watch all the talks live on Dezeen here.

Milan design week 2022

A Statement of Form is part of Milan design week 2022, which takes place from 6 to 12 June 2022. See our Milan design week 2022 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Gaggenau as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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