What with all the talk about sustainable development, ecology and respect for the environment, the risk is that these issues will become mere catch words designating things that are not all that important.
As is the case when any new deep trend appears, some creative people handle it superficially without really understanding it, even to the point of making a caricature of a serious reality. For instance, the idea of recycling has brought to light a lot of projects that remain anecdote-bound, even when they appeal to our sense of humour. But today, it is safe to say that every professional designer is concerned by these issues, no matter what sector of activity he or she works in or the mode of expression practised. The responsibility of the designer in anticipating conceptual shifts and choosing materials and production processes cannot be denied.

Among the measures advocated in eco-friendly design is that of using less material, which is probably the most
basic ecological gesture of all. But this is not necessarily the case with timber, since one of its qualities is to capture and store CO². No doubt this is one of the reasons why designers have shown growing interest in timber and its many derivatives in recent years. Aren’t creative people the expression of the times we all live in?

Even solid timber is taking off! Long considered to be stuck between two extremes - fine traditional craftsmanship on one hand, mass-market factory milling on the other - the general public is now discovering the sensuality of ‘real’ wood. And young creators too! Their enthusiasm is rewarded by the untold potential of a natural material that can be left raw or given patina, stay wild or be tamed.

The field of applications has enlarged to the extent that inventors are now vying with each other to impart new hyper-natural qualities to wood. Curved, warped, seamed, laser cut, carbon-coated, treated... These ‘outrages’ sublimate wood and often surprise us.
Laboratory researchers are elaborating bio-polymers
that may enable us to emancipate the synthetic market from its dependence on petroleum, while conserving all or most of the advantages that accompany the aesthetics and use of plastic products.

The future of composite timber has yet to be written, and it will only become a reality if designers contribute their creativity.
One of the most common derivatives of wood, paper, offers the few creators who use it many possibilities for transforming its qualities of solidity, plasticity and light weight.
Often surprising by the novelty of applications, the use of timber is logical at a time when people are becoming increasingly aware of the impact every material has on the environment. This is what explains the (re) discovery of plant fibres, from rattan to soya bean... New technologies should aim at optimizing their usage and their rich diversity, by blazing new trails for investigation in a resolutely contemporary and intelligent manner - which is already a reality.



Practical information
‘Matières à cultiver’ exhibition
"Habitat : déco & jardin" fair
from 16 to 18 october 2009
3 Boulevard Ouest, Besançon - France

With the support of