BROWSE FEATURED

ASK NATURE DESIGN

Bio-inspiration website with cases on nature's smart solutions
» www.asknature.org

ECOLECT
Easy-to-use website with lots of sustainable materials and resources
» www.ecolect.net

BIOPLASTICS
Portal with online resources on biopolymers and bioplastics
» www.biopolymer.net

O2 GLOBAL NETWORK
International network for sustainable design
» www.o2.org

DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Website with Design for Sustainability (D4S) manual for download
GET INSPIRED #01 » www.d4s-de.org Gernot Oberfell and Jan Wertel from Platform Studio designed
the Fractal.MGX, a fully functional coffee table inspired by the

GROWTH
STORY OF STUFF fractal growth patterns of trees | photo by Materialise
A 20-minute animation of our consumerist society » www.materialise-mgx.com
» www.storyofstuff.com

READ CHAT
Welcome to the first issue of Material Stories quarterly newsletter!

This first edition is all about Growth. Growth in nature has always
been a great source of inspiration for the design of the human envi-
ronment. Not only for its precious resources such as its water, oil,
woods, etc. - nature also shows us how diverse worlds of flora and
fauna can be in balance with itself, something which inspires many
sustainability thinkers.
»materials made from sugar«
The use of growing or renewable materials partly depends on scien-
tific progress. A recent discovery of a new enzyme at the University
of Duisburg-Essen makes it possible to generate a key ingredient for
acrylic glass from natural raw materials such as sugar, alcohol or
fatty acids. A new biotechnological process will allow acrylic glass to
be manufactured not only from fossil but from renewable raw mate-
rials in the future. Imagine, acrylic glass made from sugar!
DESIGN ECOLOGY !
This book provides us a very visual overview of the
many sides of a "new ecology", a more sustainable so-
ciety featuring people, fashion, brands, and more!
Hermann Schmidt Verlag Mainz
NATURE DESIGN
Nature has always been a great source of inspiration in
the design of our environment. The book discusses our
relationship with nature from 18th century till present.
Lars Müller Publishers
Dear Naomi, what does "Growth" mean for Materialise?
- Actually, everything we produce is a matter of "growing
materials". The term found in 2007-2008 for the technology is
"Additive Layered Fabrication" (ALF).
What differentiates Materialise's technologies from others?
- Common for all the 3d printing techniques is that they are a form
of adding layers of material. This, as opposed with milling or CNC
which are focused on removal of material. Of course the
technology is 100% digital processed.

»magic materials« Thank you, and "Happy Birthday", right?

Besides scientific research, growth can be everyday business such as
for the company Materialise, who is growing products for many in-
dustries. Designers love the .MGX division which makes rapid pro-
totyping and manufacturing techniques accessible to professionals.
Special software enables the growth of a product 3D pixel after pixel
which might sound very technical but as Naomi Kaempfer (see
Chat) notes: »When digital mathematics and 3D graphics are able
to match and resonate with our human organic rhythm and innate
aesthetic proportions, magic appears.«
ON GROWTH AND FORM
First published in 1917, the book discusses subjects as
the growth of eggs, skeletons, and crystals. Written in
rich literary style with over 500 photos and drawings.
Dover Publications
- Yes. .MGX by Materialise recently celebrated its fifth birthday
and just launched this year's collection theme: "e-volution"!
Naomi Kaempfer is Creative Director and Head of the .MGX by
Materialise (www.materialise-mgx.com | www.materialise.com)

»fried tree bark«

FEATURED SHARE
Growth is not limited to sustance but also involves growing knowl-
edge. My teachings at the Bremen University of the Arts involved
young designers working with natural materials such as tree bark,
rice corns, and fresh algae (see cover photo). Hands on research in-
MATERIAL SUBSCRIBE
Send an e-mail with your name and profession to receive a free
cluded printed algae, rice constructions and students frying tree copy (pdf) of Material Stories quarterly newsletter:
bark for over 20 minutes. The materials course resulted in new ap- » newsletter@materialstories.com
plications and appreciation for the aesthetic qualities of nature's
materials.
DOWNLOAD
»reduce, reuse, recycle« All newsletters are also available on:
» www.materialstories.com/newsletter
This world needs positive thinking but it would be wrong to ignore
the more worrying sides of growth such as our growing consump-
tion and pollution. Therefore, »Reduce, Reuse, Recycle« is one of KEY FACTS
our favorite reminders and are featuring a competition which is all Newsletter: Get Inspired #01 | GROWTH
about recycling. Besides recycling afterwards, »Reduce« is more Author: Aart van Bezooyen
about a state of mind up front. To get yourself inspired, please check Release date: April 2009
the Story of Stuff website (see Browse) with a 20-minutes animation Subscribers: 750+ materials fans
worth watching! Contact: info@materialstories.com

So far, enjoy this first newsletter with materials, resources, and
ideas. If you like what you're reading, please tell your friends and
colleagues, and grow more awareness for materials in design!
* Aart van Bezooyen (Owner, Material Stories)
BARKTEX is a wood that feels like fabric. The bark is cultivated
THANKS
from the Mutuba trees in Uganda and used to be for kings only.
Many thanks to Alexander Weber, Florian Weiss, Naomi
Today, BARKTEX is used in clothing, interiors, and even cars!
Kaempfer, and Wobke Oldenburger for their support and
» www.barktex.com
contributions to this newsletter.

NEXT ISSUE: VISIT FEATURED

POWER 20-24 April 2009 COMPETITION
IF MATERIAL TRENDS | HANNOVER
Special exhibition on materials during the Hannover Messe
» www.hannovermesse.com

19-21 May 2009

PDM 2009 | TELFORD
One of the biggest gatherings in the UK plastics market
» www.pdmevent.com

16-18 June 2009

MATERIAL VISION | FRANKFURT
Biannual trade fair with new materials for architecture and design
» www.material-vision.com

16-18 June 2009

TECHTEXTIL | FRANKFURT
International trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens
Contribute to the next newsletter by sending POWER related » www.techtextil.com RecyclingDesignpreis Competition 2009
materials, products or projects to info@materialstories.com Prizes: 2.500 Euros
Deadline: 31 July 2009
(please understand that selected contributions are published) » www.recyclingboerse.org
See more events and competitions at www.materialstories.com