Amorim Cork Composites spotlights the flexibility of cork

Promotion: architects and designers are more and more discovering new methods to make use of cork exterior of cork stoppers as a strategy to scale back the carbon footprint of their initiatives, in keeping with Portuguese firm Amorim Cork Composites.

Because the innovation arm of the world’s largest cork producer Corticeira Amorim, Amorim Cork Composites, has seen a marked uptick in curiosity over the previous few years, whether or not producing furnishings for designer Tom Dixon and the Campana Brothers, creating door handles for architect Eduardo Souto Moura or supplying wall panels for Counterspace’s 2021 Serpentine Pavilion.

The corporate describes cork as “one of many world’s most versatile supplies”, because it offers each thermal and acoustic insulation on high of being naturally affect absorbent, anti-slip and delicate to the contact.

Tom Dixon (above) and the Campana Brothers (high) have used cork of their initiatives

Cork has the power to sequester carbon whereas changing different, extra polluting supplies.

That is as a result of cork is a renewable pure materials derived from the outer bark of the cork oak, which grows primarily in western Mediterranean international locations equivalent to Portugal.

Right here, cork forests retain as much as 73 tons of carbon dioxide for every ton of cork harvested yearly in a course of that, in contrast to timber manufacturing, leaves the tree standing and sequestering carbon.

Amorim Cork Composites provided wall panels for the 2021 Serpentine Pavilion by Counterspace

Most frequently, cork remains to be used for the manufacturing of bottle stoppers. However producers equivalent to Amorim Cork Composites are more and more exploring new methods to make composites and novel merchandise by reusing any cork that went to waste within the manufacturing course of.

This sees the fabric mixed with different pure supplies equivalent to clay, foams, wooden and steel in desk, kitchen, workplace equipment, furnishings and lighting.

“There are numerous objects produced with cork which might be gorgeous of their magnificence and modern design,” stated Amorim Cork Composites.

Cork stationary tidy with pen resting within it — Amorim Cork Composites are exploring new methods to make composites and novel merchandise

One other instance is Cork Polymer Compounds, that are bio-composites produced by way of a course of that mixes cork and polymers, which has the “malleability and sturdiness of thermoplastics and on the opposite, the lightness, resilience, and sustainability of cork”.

“Cork’s low density permits it to cut back the amount of plastic consumed as much as 60 per cent, representing a extra sustainable various when in comparison with 100 per cent plastic-based supplies,” stated Amorim Cork Composites.

Handles made from cork — Eduardo Souto Moura used cork to clad a set of door handles

Final 12 months, the corporate created the ACC Design Studio to additional push the boundaries of what may be made out of cork.

The artistic studio develops new revolutionary supplies and ideas in collaboration with designers, architects and types and offers them with ongoing technical assist all through their initiatives.

To seek out out extra, go to the corporate’s web site.

Partnership content material

This text was written by Dezeen for Amorim Cork Composites as a part of a partnership. Discover out extra about Dezeen partnership content material right here.