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7 Designers Showcase Recycled Aluminum Objects at Hydro’s 100R Exhibition

04.25.24 | By
7 Designers Showcase Recycled Aluminum Objects at Hydro’s 100R Exhibition

Milan Design Week 2024 visitors who stopped by the 100R exhibition had the chance to see how aluminum scrap can be turned into coveted design objects that are ready for mass production. Norwegian aluminum and renewable energy company Hydro is changing the game when it comes to the endlessly recyclable material with Hydro CIRCAL 100R, the first industrial-scale aluminum product made entirely of post-consumer scrap. In celebration of the technology and to showcase its vast capabilities, Hydro and Norwegian designer Lars Beller Fjetland brought together seven renowned designers to create objects using only Hydro CIRCAL 100R.

Hydro 100R Exhibition, Spazio Maiocchi

Inga Sempé, Max Lamb, Andreas Engesvik, Shane Schneck, Rachel Griffin, John Tree, and Philippe Malouin were challenged to use the mono-material, each chosen to participate based on their skill sets and personalities. Hydro CIRCAL 100R has an amazingly low carbon footprint that clocks in below 0.5 kg CO2e per kg aluminum, and this project can serve as proof that designers and brands need to consider the use of more highly sustainable materials like this.

Hydro 100R Exhibition, Spazio Maiocchi

“Innovation starts at the drawing board, so collaborating with designers at the beginning of the process is key to creating something remarkable,” says Asle Forsbak, 100R project lead and Marketing & Communication Director at Hydro Extrusions. “Working with Lars and this group of world-class designers, with their uncompromised ideas, is something out of the ordinary, and shows what we can achieve. When designers, engineers, and material specialists unite, innovation happens.”

Hydro 100R Exhibition, Spazio Maiocchi

The seven designers tackled the challenge head-on, using thoughtful designs alongside smart production techniques and processes. Forsbak shares that it was liberating to give them so much freedom and to see how Hydro’s engineers could help bring their ideas to a place where they could be mass-produced at the drop of a dime. From a colorful, metallic table lamp to a space divider kissed with a gradient of blue, the exhibition shares just a taste of what this new material is capable of creating.

Grotte by Inga Sempé + Prove Light by Max Lamb

“With this project, we acknowledge that we are moving toward a future where utilizing materials already in circulation is imperative for sustainable living and manufacturing,” says Fjetland. “Hydro CIRCAL 100R precisely facilitates that, as aluminum can be endlessly recycled without any loss of quality. I am confident that we will continue to use this exact material a hundred years from now.”

Billet Chair by John Tree

Billet Chair by John Tree

T-Board by Philippe Malouin

T-Board by Philippe Malouin

Grotte by Inga Sempé

Grotte by Inga Sempé

Serial by Rachel Griffin

Serial by Rachel Griffin

Nave by Shane Schneck

Nave by Shane Schneck

Tsuba by Andreas Engesvik

Tsuba by Andreas Engesvik

Prove Light by Max Lamb

Prove Light by Max Lamb

To learn more about Hydro’s 100R exhibition, visit 100r.no.

Photography by Einar Aslaksen.

Kelly Beall is Director of Branded Content at Design Milk. The Pittsburgh-based writer and designer has had a deep love of art and design for as long as she can remember, from Fashion Plates to MoMA and far beyond. When not searching out the visual arts, she's likely sharing her favorite finds with others. Kelly can also be found tracking down new music, teaching herself to play the ukulele, or on the couch with her three pets – Bebe, Rainey, and Remy. Find her @designcrush on social.