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Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Franck Divay Is Honored with the Silver A' Design Award for Ydin Stool Stool in Furniture Design

Franck Divay honored for furniture design by the international grand jury of the 2013 - 2014 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 26, 2014 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Ydin Stool Stool by Franck Divay, designed for Inoow Design, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2013 - 2014 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Silver A' Design Award Means

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

More About Ydin Stool Stool

Ydin stool can be mounted by yourself, without using special tools, thanks to a simple interlocking system. The 4 identical feet are placed in no particular order and the concrete seat, acting as the keystone, keeps everything in place. Feet are made with scrap wood coming from a stairs manufacturer, easily machined using traditional woodworking techniques and finally oiled. The seat is simply moulded in a lasting fiber-reinforced UHP Concrete. Only 5 dissociable parts to be flat packed and ready to be shipped to final customers, is another sustainability argument.

About Franck Divay

The inoow design studio was born from a need of Frank Divay to combine with passion, both industrial design and woodworking crafts. Besides product design services provided for companies, it is proposed to professionals and individuals, furniture, lighting and other bespoke designed items which are then manufactured in the workshop adjoining the studio. Originally, the workshop was just a playground where creativity is expressed through materials manipulation and experimentation! A privileged environment which offers the opportunity to overcome some constraints essential to all industrial productions.

Award Record

Franck Divay is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.

About the A' Furniture Design Award

The A' Furniture Design Award is an international furniture competition recognizing good furniture designs by best furniture designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to furniture designers, product designers, industrial design studios and furniture brands from all countries. Typical entries include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. The awarded furniture designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/furniture

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Ydin Stool Stool
Function
Stool
Category
Furniture Design
Discipline
Industrial Design
Industry
Furniture & Home
Colors
Sienna, Tan, Dark Salmon, Indian Red and Linen
Images
5
Client
Inoow Design

The Recognition

Laureate
Franck Divay
Country
France
Recognition
Silver A' Design Award
Edition
2013 - 2014
Design ID
#30329

Design Details

Unique Properties
Ydin stool can be mounted without using special tools, thanks to a simple interlocking system. The 4 identical feet are placed in no particular order and the concrete seat, acting as the keystone, keeps everything in place. Easily machined feet are made with scrap wood coming from a stairs manufacturer and finally oiled. The seat is moulded in a lasting fiber-reinforced concrete. Only 5 dissociable parts to be flat packed and ready to be shipped, is another sustainability argument.
Inspiration
The idea of a stool comes by experimenting with Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) moulding possibilities. The final drawing of the furniture has been inspired by Scandinavian design culture.
Research
Project started with the desire to work with Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC), without knowing what kind of product was going to be obtained in the end. Soon, the choice to combine concrete with wood seemed to be the way not to get a single monobloc object that could just have been in molded plastic. Technical characteristics offered by this concrete, have allowed to develop an assembly principle that would not be possible to achieve with other materials, in a craftsmanship context.
Challenge
The biggest challenge has been the technical and formal assembly development. The positioning of the 4 wooden feet one to each other, first. And secondly, the base interlocking into the seat. While having to meet the production capacities of a craft workshop.
Realization and Technology
For a good fitting assembly, the hole dimensions in the center of the seat had to be extremely precise. So the mould has been made by using a 3D printed model. Then, the concrete seat remains raw from mold release. Feet are made with traditional woodworking technique by using several jigs or machining setups. With only 1 kind of piece to be shaped, it gives a very good process optimization when you start to manufacture several units. Scrap wood is the only raw material used for making them.
Operation and Interaction
With the fitting mounting system of the Ydin stool, the disadvantages of a furniture kit are deleted. No hardware need that requires the use of tools. Feet nesting is carried in an instinctive way without the need for a manual. The assembly principle is idealized in the middle of the seat and participates in the overall aesthetics of the piece of furniture.
Project Duration and Location
The stool development was spread over two years, but not as a full-time job. This is an internal project that came to life between the requests performed ​​to several customers.
Specifications
Product dimension : 310 x 310 x 440 mm Product weight : 5,3 kg
Keywords
stool, furniture, wood, concrete, scandinavian, moulding, flatpack, interlocking, sustainable, seating,

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