designboom presents jean-marie massaud at milan triennale

designboom presents jean-marie massaud at milan triennale photo by denis rouvre

small details make up the big picture. landscape, architecture, interior design and door handles.

TODAY! triennale di milano – sala d’onore, viale alemagna 6, milan may 31st, 2011, 6:00 pm free entrance.

designboom would like to invite our readers to an evening at the triennale di milano. organized in collaboration with colombo design, the event will feature a lecture by french designer jean marie massaud  and will reveal the results of the international door handle competition ‘hands on door handles‘. cocktail reception to follow.

french architect jean-marie massaud has run a quest for synthesis, reduction and lightness since his first intuitions. he has been working in all kinds of design fields, from interior design to architecture, from product design to technological innovation to prospective research. massaud favors practical engineering solutions over abstract considerations and aims to develop alternative methods of consumption. his objective is to foster a sense of well-being — which these days is a delicate affair, as he states ‘design must be responsible toward the collectivity and in harmony with our ecosystem as well‘. the artifacts he designs — whether a spa resort or a doorhandle — focus on ‘feeling alive’, an emotional state he describes as  ‘being in harmony with nature‘.

massaud does not design buildings; he designs ecosystems, or better, ethic brands (in transport, equipment, housing…) where the notions of desires and responsibilities do meet and match. he envisioned a resort community in palm desert, california involving tents rather than fixed buildings, and for a stadium in guadalajara, mexico, the architect came up with the ‘volcano’ concept for the 45,000-seat, USD 120 million sports arena. to global warming and the oil crisis, massaud counters with a ‘manned cloud‘,  a romantic sci-fi project involving a 210 meters (ca.  690-foot ) helium-filled dirigible that has a cruising speed of 129 km per hour (ca. 80 miles an hour) and a luxury hotel attached (a cabin to accommodate 50 overnight guests and a crew of 25). the jules verne contraption, originally planned in 2005 has attracted the attention of engineers at ONERA (office national d’etudes et de recherches aéro­nau­tiques — the organization that engineered the airbus –), who are currently studying its feasibility.

small details make up the big picture. landscape, architecture, interior design and doorhandles. is the first of a series of cultural events the italian door manufacturer colombo design is going to host. we invite you to discover jean-marie maussaud’s philosophy and the exceptional, detailed work of young talents from around the world. the door handle contest yielded entries from 6, 208 participants and has been juried by UK designer jasper morrison and US-based reiser and umemoto architects.