At the keynotes, showgoers get the inside scoop on what these practitioners are currently working on, their thoughts on industry trends and a look at each of their design processes.
Thom Mayne, founder of Morphosis, kick starts the day with a talk at 11 a.m. Mayne, one of architecture’s bad boys, co-founded the Los Angeles firm in the earlier 1970s and played a key role in establishing the Southern California Institute of Architecture. Hear the Pritzker Prize-winner – whose structure for New York’s Cooper Union has won numerous accolades – talk about his concept for the Phare Tower, the first phase in the urban renewal of the La Défense region of Paris. Read about the sprawling futuristic and amorphous Giant Group Campus that he designed for an internet gaming conglomerate in Shanghai in Azure‘s upcoming March/April issue.
Michael Young seems as comfortable in the east as he is in the west. Taking the floor at 1 p.m., the British-born, Hong Kong based industrial designer reveals his latest creations and describes the process of working with manufacturers in Italy and China. A proponent of “design as industrial art,” his recent works include a range of laptop bags and accessories for the modern commuter; the Dupont Corian showroom in Shanghai; and the Tetrix kitchen line for Scavolini, which demonstrates new freedoms in layouts and colours, and is on display at the Dekla booth.
Jean-Marie Massaud has designed nearly everything imaginable: from air purifiers and glass partitions, to lounge chairs and soccer stadiums. The final speaker of the day, he will deliver his keynote at 3 p.m. He has designed iconic pieces for Emeco, Swedese and Established & Sons as well as a collection for Axor, Hansgrohe’s designer line. He is the creative force behind B&B Italia‘s first Paris showroom, and more recently, the design of the Chivas stadium in Mexico, which resembles an exploding volcano. See his latest creations for Glas Italia at Avenue Road.
The Interior Design Show is open to trade professionals on January 28, and to the general public from January 29 to 30.