Design Miami Commissions Furniture Designed by Christ & Gantenbein for Mwabwindo School
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The Mwabwindo School which is slated to open in 2018 for primary school students in rural Zambia has been designed by Selldorf Architects, New York, and will include a mural to be created on-site by artist Rashid Johnson. Design Miami/ asked the Basel-based aDesign Miami Commissions Furniture Designed by Christ & Gantenbein for Mwabwindo School
The Mwabwindo School which is slated to open in 2018 for primary school students in rural Zambia has been designed by Selldorf Architects, New York, and will include a mural to be created on-site by artist Rashid Johnson. Design Miami/ asked the Basel-based architecture and design firm Christ & Gantenbein to contribute to this project by designing children’s furniture for the student’s art classroom. The firm is known for creating designs that stand the test of time and delves into contextual precision.The Mwabwindo Series by Christ & Gantenbein is an adaptation of the firm’s Athens series. Inspired by a humble wooden chopping block that the designers chanced upon in an Athens market the series’ stools and tables are made of wooden blocks. All held together by long, cylindrical wooden pegs, and assembled without the use of any glue or hardware. The furniture has been arranged to accommodate its use by children through a simple interlocking system. The tables can also be assembled into different configurations based on the needs and activities during classroom hours. The furniture will be fabricated in Zambia and assembled by the Mwabwindo community.Prototypes of this series were unveiled at Design Miami in an exhibition dedicated to the Mwabwindo School. It includes models of the buildings and information about the construction and student body. The installation features a child-size set of modular tables and stools that visitors are encouraged to use and arrange into different configurations.Mwabwindo School will be the second school opened in the region developed and operated by 14+ Foundation. It was founded by Joseph Mizzi and Nchimunya Wulf, 14+ Foundation is an organization that is committed to increasing education accessibility in rural African communities. In such regions, travel to school is one of the biggest hurdles to quality education. Mwabwindo School is the recipient of the 2017 Panerai Design Miami/ Visionary Award. "The 2017 Panerai Design Miami/ Visionary Award allows us to shine a light on an inspiring collaboration between Selldorf Architects, 14+ Foundation, and Rashid Johnson to build Mwabwindo School in rural Zambia," said Rodman Primack, Chief Creative Officer of Design Miami/. "We are honored to have been able to augment this successful partnership through our commission of furniture by Christ & Gantenbein for the school’s art classroom. The wood tables, chairs, and stools are both durable and sustainable, designed to stand the test of time and to be assembled by the community; we hope that they will add to the tangible, lasting impact the project will have on the area."Mwabwindo Series will be on view through 10, 2017, at Design Miami, 1809 Meridian Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139, USA.For details, visit: http://miami2017.designmiami.com/Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the works. Read more