Exploring alternative manufacturing methods and the versatility of American red oak, Future Heirlooms 2024 presents new pieces by five South African design studios. 

In 2022 Always Welcome and the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) joined forces to release Future Heirlooms – a first-of-its-kind sustainable collection created by seven South African designers.

Five South African cross-disciplinary design studios have been invited to craft a piece for the second iteration of this exciting project. The designers have been tasked with creating pieces that not only look forward to the future of sustainable design but also explore South Africa’s rich design legacy.

Using American red oak supplied by wholesale timber specialists BOS Timber, the theme invites the designers to conceive a piece that lasts for generations to come and is of a quality that makes it worth keeping, and of collectable value. The spirit of the challenge is to celebrate individuality, expressionism, quirkiness, and beauty in the design of the limited edition collectable piece.

“Building on the success of the launch edition of Future Heirlooms our 2024 challenge will offer our select African cross-disciplinary designers a unique opportunity to design a piece that explores alternative manufacturing methods, and the beauty and versatility of American red oak itself,” says Roderick Wiles, AHEC Regional Director. 

The line-up of notable talent hand-picked to participate in Future Heirlooms 2024 includes:

MOEA Design Studio

Established in 2021 by Cassandra Twala and Johanna von Stein, MOEA set out to create a hybrid studio that not only works on commissioned work for clients but also creates its own platforms that elevate African creativity.

Juliet M Kavishe

Through her work interior architect and design educator Juliet M Kavishe explores African identity, heritage, and the integration of ancestral ways of communication, rooted in diverse cultural expressions.

André Eksteen

André Eksteen is a multi-award-winning architect and academic and co-director of Earthworld Architects who aims to push the boundaries of creativity while also maintaining a strong focus on sustainability. 

Isa-MBU-LA

Duo costume designer and Creative Director Bandile Mbuli and architect Ndabo Langa‘s collaboration – Isa-MBU-LA- is focused on creating a resilient and sustainable design by tapping into local ecosystems with high consideration for traditional practices and innovation.

Nkuli Nhleko

Nkuli Nhleko is an Art Curator at Everard Read Gallery and the co-founder of Imbewu Design, an Interior Design Studio. She specialises in crafting visually striking spaces that offer experiential and conceptually rich environments.

The finished pieces will first be seen as part of Sustainable Design Week Africa at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town from 9-14 September 2024. VISI is the proud media partner for Sustainable Design Week Africa.

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The Natural Connections exhibition connects material and people in a playful, conscious and nature-focused way.

Last year Always Welcome and the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) joined forces to release Future Heirlooms; a first-of-its- kind collection created by seven South African designers. This year, as part of the Madrid Design Festival, the AHEC has invited leading Spanish designers Inma Bermúdez and Moritz Krefter (Studio Inma Bermúdez), Jorge Penadés and Alvaro Catalán de Ocón to create three pieces of furniture for public spaces, designed to help people encounter and rediscover nature.

The design studios worked with maple, cherry, and red oak (all sustainable American hardwoods) to create innovative installations.

Inma Bermúdez and Moritz Krefter, the design duo behind Studio Inma Bermúdez, created La Manada Perdida, a set of furniture pieces that represent a group of animals that seem to be lost. Made of red oak, maple and cherry, the bench-like designs of La Manada Perdida go beyond practical furniture and incorporate aspects of imagination, leaving the user to decide how they want to engage with them.

The tubular structure of Jorge Penadés’ Wrap explores a new application of wood based on the cardboard tube production system. For the project, Jorge developed a unique structural system using two pieces of cherry veneer, glued and rolled in opposite directions. The result is a surprisingly resistant and versatile tube which helped the designer create a multifunctional bleacher and low display shelf.

For his project, Álvaro Catalán de Ocón was inspired by the way light it filtered through the traditional wooden blinds of Mediterranean towns. Titled Nube, Álvaro used small balls and cylinders made of red oak, cherry and maple wood to form a sort of electrified mesh that filters the light and causes an interesting play of light and shadow that surrounds the viewer.

Natural Connections will be on display at Matadero Madrid until 7 March as part of the Madrid Design Festival 2023 programme. Future Heirlooms is currently on show at Always Welcome Heritage House in Cape Town until the end of February.

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MultiPly is a nine-metre-high carbon-neutral tulipwood pavilion that was recently displayed in the V&A’s Sackler Courtyard at the London Design Festival.

The wooden pavilion is one the festival’s Landmark Projects and aims to encourage visitors to consider the ways in which buildings are designed and built.

The innovative installation was created through a collaboration between the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), Waugh Thistleton Architects and ARUP. MultiPly utilises cross-laminating, a wood engineering technique that enhances weight bearing and strength.

The tulipwood used to create MultiPly can store the equivalent of 30 tonnes of carbon dioxide and can be replaced in the American hardwood forest in just five minutes.

“The main ambition of this project is to publicly debate how environmental challenges can be addressed through innovative, affordable construction,” says Andrew Waugh, co-founder of Waugh Thistleton Architects. “We are at a crisis point in terms of both housing and CO2 emissions and we believe that building in a versatile, sustainable material, such as tulipwood, is an important way of addressing these issues.”

The three-dimensional pavilion has a maze-like structure and is constructed using 17 modules of tulipwood. The pavilion has digitally fabricated joints, with the crown of the structure comprising of a module that has a thermo-treated protective layer. The use of tulipwood enhances the design, as it is both eco-friendly and inexpensive.

See more projects by Waugh Thistleton Architects, here.

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