User:Molostudio/sandbox

molo (molo design ltd.) is a multidisciplinary design and production studio based in Vancouver, Canada led by Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen. The molo studio integrates the practices of architecture, craft, and product design. molo’s products result from Forsythe and MacAllen’s materials research and studies.

History
Stephanie Forsythe and Todd MacAllen met in 1994 while on a research trip in Colombia studying the relocation of coastal communities. The trip was related to the architecture program in which they were both enrolled at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Between years of architecture school Forsythe and MacAllen worked together to design and build three houses and a series of other smaller structures for private clients under the name Forsythe + MacAllen Design Associates. One of these houses, Colorado House, won a 1999 ar+d Award for Emerging Architecture.

Upon completion of their Master's degrees Forythe and MacAllen began to search for ways to engage in the design of urban housing and public space. They also became interested in designing smaller utilitarian objects that they could afford to finance on their own, from design to production, leaving them free to follow their own intuition in the design process. Forsythe and MacAllen moved to Vancouver in 2001 and began working on a series of high profile design and architecture competition entries.

In 2001 Forsythe and MacAllen won the grand prize in the Japanese Northern Style Housing competition. At the time it was the world's largest open architecture competition, attracting over 4,000 entries. The competition was judged by Tadao Ando and Jean Nouvel. This competition win led to the construction of the Aomori Nebuta House (completed in 2011), designed by molo.

In 2002 Forsythe and MacAllen received an award in the Felissimo and UNESCO sponsored Design 21 competition based on concept sketches for their float tea lantern. Using the prize money from this competiton, physical prototypes of float tea lantern and tea cups were produced. The prototypes won an ar+d Award for Emerging Architecture the same year.

In 2003 Forsythe and MacAllen were one of five finalists in the First Step Housing Competition, sponsored by Common Ground Community and the Architecture League of New York for softroom. Also in 2003 Forsythe and MacAllen won the Golden Prize in the Design Beyond East and West competition for softhousing. Forsythe and MacAllen were awarded first prize in the LighTouch Competition (Singapore), for their design of the softlight concept in the same year.

The competition entries from 2001 to 2003 formed the basis of the ideas that molo continues to develop.

molo was founded in 2003 to produce and sell Forsythe and MacAllen's designs with the intention of using profits from the business to fund further research.

In 2004 Forsythe and MacAllen received the International Contemporary Furniture Fair editor's choice award for Best New Designer.

In 2005 molo's softwall was added to MoMA permanent collection. The same year softwall won an INDEX: Award, the world's largest monetary prize for design. Also in 2005, molo was selected as one of five finalists in the MoMA PS1 Young Architects competition.

In 2006 molo received the International Contemporary Furniture Fair editor's choice award for Body of Work.

In 2009 molo collaborated with sound artist Ethan Rose to create northern sky circle, an 84' diameter outdoor room made of snow. Forsythe and MacAllen designed the structure and built it with a team of molo employees. Ethan Rose composed a sound piece, based on recordings of snow and ice, that was played inside.

In January 2011, construction of the Aomori Nebuta House was completed. In November 2011 the building was Highly Commended in the ar+d Awards for Emerging Architecture. Also in 2011, molo introduced softshelter, a system of flexible partitions and accessories created based on the studio's earlier work with flexible honeycomb structures. The softshelter system is intended for the flexible division of space within large structures such as gymnasiums in response to disaster situations or any other circumstances with similar requirements for large-scale division of space.

The name “molo” is an acronym for “middle ones, little ones” originally referring to the smaller scale of product design compared with architecture. MacAllen has since stated that a distinction between product design and architecture is no longer necessary because he and Forsythe feel that they are just different words for design at various scales. The pair view product design as a natural extension of their architectural work.

Design Philosophy
In addition to architecture, Forsythe and MacAllen have studied fine arts, science, woodworking, metalwork, industrial design, and glass-blowing.

The principles and practices that combine to make up the molo studio's philosophy were listed by MacAllen in a 2010 interview with Design Exchange :


 * Design through experience.


 * Design by making.


 * Continual design and improvement.


 * Continual exploration and evolution of a few ideas rather than creation of a multitude of products.


 * Abstraction, editing, function, delight.

MacAllen stated that the molo design process typically involves the following stages but that the order of the stages can shift :


 * An idea or concept: make a tangible object as soon as possible (these might happen in reverse).


 * Design exploration and research: make the object.


 * Design development: making the object again and again; learning.


 * The original idea is still open to function: a light could become a wall or a hand bag becomes a light.


 * Study production as soon as possible and consider pricing.


 * Show it to people: refine the production and pricing.


 * Continual refnement of the idea, material, function, manufacturing, communication, sale of, etc. Ongoing refinement often leads to a new idea.

Products

 * hobo lantern + bag (2011)
 * cork peg (2011)
 * cloud softlight mobile (2011)
 * cloud softlight (2010)
 * tapered kraft softwall (2010)
 * cappello lamp (2010)
 * felt disc (2010)
 * softwall + softblock modular system with LED light (2009)
 * urchin softlight (2008)
 * softwall + softblock modular system (2005)
 * textile softblock (2005)
 * textile softwall (2005)
 * paper softwall (2004)
 * softseating (2003)
 * float tea lantern and tea cups (2002)

Projects

 * aomori nebuta house (2011)
 * softshelter (2011)
 * heartfelt lantern for Japan (2011)
 * northern sky circle (2009)
 * love letter light (2006)
 * paper softwall (2003)
 * softhousing (2003)
 * softroom (2003)
 * felt rocks (2003)

Major Awards and Acclaimations
Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award for Nebuta House (2011)

ar+d Award for Emerging Architecture for Aomori Nebuta House (2011)

Architectural Record Design Vanguard 2010

Winner, "Best Exhibit", ICFF Editor’s Choice Awards, International Contemporary Furniture Fair (2010)

MIPIM Architectural Review Future Project Award for Aomori Nebuta House (2010)

Emerging Voices Award, Architecture League of New York (2010)

Winner,“Body of Work”, ICFF Editor’s Choice Awards, International Contemporary Furniture Fair (2006)

INDEX: Award, Home category for softwall (2005)

Winner, “Best New Designer”, ICFF Editor’s Choice Award, International Contemporary Furniture Fair (2004)

Winning Entry, First Step Housing Competition, Organized by Common Ground Community and the Architectural League of New York (2003)

First Prize, LighTouch Competition, Organized by Design Singapore (2003)

Golden Prize, Design Beyond East and West Housing competition, 2003 Judges: Alessandro Mendini (Italy), Kazuyo Sejima (Japan), Seok-chul Kim (Korea), Shi-Li zhang (China)

Ronald J. Thom Award for Early Design Achievement, Canada Council for the Arts, 2003

Winning Entry, Young Architects Forum Competition: “Inhabiting Identity”, The Architectural League of New York, 2003 Judges: Shigeru Ban, Michael Hays, Wendy Evans Joseph, Marion Weiss and the Young Architects Committee

ar+d award for Emerging Architecture for float tea lantern (2002) Judges: Stefan Banish, Margret Hardardottir, Rick Joy, Carme Pinos, Hin L. Tan and Peter Davey

First prize, Aomori Northern Style Housing Competition (2001) Judges: Tadao Ando and Jean Nouvel

Shortlisted in the open international competition for 9/11 - Memorial at the Pentagon (2001)

Shortlisted in the open international competition for the Tomihiro Museum of Shi Ga paintings, Azuma, Japan (2001)

Finalist in Design 21, International design award from UNESCO and Felissimo Design House for float tea lantern (2001)

ar+d Award for Emerging Architecture, for Colorado House, (1999) Judges: Theo Berg, David Chipperfield, Massimiliano Fuksas, Billie Tsien and Peter Davey

Exhibitions and Installations
molo exhibits annually at the word’s major design fairs such as the Salone del Mobile in Milan, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York, and Maison & Objet in Paris.

molo has also participated in the following exhibitions:

The Pop-Up Generation, Museum Of The Image, Brada, Netherlands (curated by Lidewij Edelkoort) (2012)

Delicate Erosion, Centro De Arte Caja De Burgos, Burgos, Spain (2008)

special guests of Ingo Maurer, Spazia Krizia, Milan, Italy (2008)