Rise of the Machines

Dirk Vander Kooij – Endless 

On the hunt during Milan Design Week (or Salone del Mobile as the locals refer to it) for something that may well resonate with our readership, I came across a fascinating project from Dirk Vander Kooij

, in which he uses a customised industrial robot to ’3D print’ furniture. Now, having heard a little bit about the recent buzz surrounding 3D printing, I must admit that the concept, while cool perhaps lacked somewhat in practical functions but this is where Vander Kooij’s application thereof really stands out.

Having been reared into a design world (if you will) where individuals and small companies looking to to produce  furniture on any sort of industrial scale are, that through many facets completely priced out of the market, Vander Kooij has found a novel solution. By taking and re-configuring a relatively inexpensive (in comparison to mould production for example) old CNC robotic extruder arm the Dutch designer has created a system that constructs pieces from a continuous flow of liquid plastic, primarily salvaged from old fridges. The process takes around 3 hours for a chair, table or vase with all manner of furniture items constantly being prototyped and due to consisting entirely of one material, the items are all easily recycled and can even be shredded and fed back into the machine to make a completely different piece.

As a means of promoting the products and indeed the process, Vander Kooij, who has scooped numerous awards for the ‘Endless’ project often takes the robot on the road. This week (fortunately for me) it has been snapped up by Joseph Grima for Domus Magazine’s  ‘The Future In The Making’

exhibition at Palazzo Clerici where it has been making pieces from the endless range since Tuesday and will continue to do so until Sunday.

Aside from the fact that watching the robot in full flow is really quite an experience, the joy of Vander Kooij’s creation is the manner in which it seamlessly (no pun intended) ticks so many of the boxes for great design. The finished products look great, they are made from 100% recycled materials and are themselves, completely recyclable, they easily stand up to the test of everyday use and perhaps most importantly, the project proves that individuals can still create furniture products on a large scale without being taken under the wing of an established brand.

A futuristic (albeit using reclaimed machinery) and fantastic concept, Dirk Vander Kooij’s ‘Endless’ truly is a sight to behold.