THE CHALLENGE
Today the architecture & building industry is creating massive amounts of pollution and the sector is facing a lack of raw materials, including water and sand. There is a need for revaluing discarded natural materials, controlling the use of the materials using methodologies to diminish waste.
THE SOLUTION
MARETECH project aims to develop innovative products by applying discarded sedimentary materials to architectural elements (tiles, suspensions, bricks) by using advanced technology: 3D Printing. This technology leads to innovative shapes that enhance the properties of the materials, while improving the characteristics of architectural elements (more lightweight, better insulation, etc.). MARETECH project is defined by its environmental consideration: revaluing discarded natural materials. Those values lead to the choice of 3D printing technique, controlling the amount of material used without waste.
MARETECH project is defined by its environmental consideration: revaluing discarded natural materials. Those values lead to the choice of 3D printing technique, controlling the amount of material used without waste.
THE IDEA
MARETECH project is characterized by the use of discarded sedimentary materials from the French Atlantic coast that define Aurore Piette’s works. She has been developing neo craft techniques in order to revalue those materials by following local and self-sufficient leitmotivs. In collaboration with Craftsmen and Engineers, she got intrigued by how Craft could evolve in a close future. From that question, she shaped an innovative vision of Craft by bounding natural materials and advanced technology together. Thus, Aurore Piette started Research & Development by applying discarded maritime matters in 3D printing machines. On this way, MARETECH project proposes today contemporary shapes for Interior Design applications on a zero waste process by revaluing raw and local materials.
THE BIRTH OF THE PROJECT
Today, the architecture field is facing a major material crisis, including water and sand. There is an urgent need to rethink what materials do we use and how do we process them. Thus, MARETECH offers to revalue local and natural discarded materials from the French Atlantic coast by using a zero waste process: 3D printing. On this way, MARETECH aims to propose Modular Elements for Architecture and Interior Design from a Local & Sustainable fabrication. With MARETECH we offer a sustainable, local and innovative option to Design field. While on an environmental point of view, we propose to rationalize and revalue local materials, on an individual level, we aim to propose adaptable and contemporary indoor separation wall. Thus, the architectural elements can be combined in order to create an indoor separation wall according to the needs of the customer. Indeed, with MARETECH we propose a modular pieces in order to get personalized Design but we also develop organic shapes in order to embody the origin of the project: the ocean. Living in cities, we need to rationalize our space and energy, here the organic and perforated design allows also the light to go through leading to a reduction of the use of artificial lights. Finally, MARETECH defines an innovative and adaptable vision of creation with a unique making process and contemporary shapes.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS
A project starts from a key notion, an inspiration, for us it was the material, then the technique and finally the shape. A creative process has to be lead by the influences of the development and be able to get adapted according to the journey. Thus, we aimed to be open to modifications that the project would require or that a member of the team would propose. We started the project with material experimentations with 3D printers in order to learn from the material and so to define the “Design Space”: the potential of the shapes that we could develop according to the characteristics of technique (3D printing) and the ones of the material (discarded materials from French Atlantic Coast). Then we moved to the design development, keeping in mind the key notion of the project: the material, whose origin (the ocean) is embodied in the organic design of MARETECH.
THE COLLABORATION
MARETECH team is composed of three partners:
Aurore Piette Studio (France) - Project leader, Designer and Craftswoman of the sea
Lowpoly - WASP Hub Madrid (Spain) with Gianluca Pugliese : 3D printing experts
Dr Roberto Naboni - CREATE SDU (Denmark) : Experimental architect and expert in digital fabrication.
Thus our unique collaboration regroups complementary skills and knowledge required to develop MARETECH project: sustainable material, 3D printing research, applications and techniques. We have been able to split the tasks according to our skills and to be confident in each other jobs thanks to our personal previous works.Together, we bound our complementary knowledge to develop the sustainable values of MARETECH with a common innovative and contemporary vision of what architecture would look like in a close future.
THE FUTURE
In the future, we aim to present MARETECH to a wide public thanks to design events and exhibitions in order to spread our sustainable vision of making. On the same time, we aim to be represented in the Design Field by innovative materioteques and trend forecast companies. On this way, we imagine becoming actor of change in the Interior Design field, working with Design companies and Architecture business in order to apply our local and sustainable MARETECH products. Thus, we might have to scale up, requiring some investment. On the Design approach, we aim to co-work with creatives in order to propose unique collections and to develop new local materials in Europe with LOWPOLY and WASP as key partners.
THE MESSAGE
Meaningful projects are built for or from a collective. A project requires complementary knowledge in order to take a sustainable shape in time. Working as a team helps to define the project itself through a common goal. Thus each partner is confident of his own task in the project, while they learn from the others members skills. MARETECH is the illustration of the power of trans-disciplinary projects since it’s the meeting of sustainable material and emerging technology; and our team embodies that contemporary vision of creation. Moreover, thinking environmental today is also thinking social, and with MARETECH, we believe that bounding fields in one project is the meaning of innovation.
