“Design is an integral part of our everyday” – An interview with Pascal Gentil from the Innovathèque

Pascal Gentil: It’s not as easy as you think. Today, we know how to make flexible products with a fairly long life expectancy. Even a “disposable” piece of furniture made out of thin particles can last between ten and fifteen years, even though it was only originally designed to last three to four at the most. However, by fixing or patching things up, we manage to get more life out of them. People have a really hard time letting go of their furniture. They get attached.

To answer your question, upgrading a product by making it more sustainable could really be interesting if there were such a thing as long-lasting, fragile material. But I don’t think there is in the furniture department.

A Culture-Rich Crossroads

Catherine Bouvard: What did you gain from collaborating with this student and the design world?

Pascal Gentil: This type of collaboration is yet another enriching opportunity for the Innovathèque, which falls in line with the notion of cultural cross-breeding that we strongly advocate. This encounter enabled us to reflect upon how fragile and tattered materials could be used in designing a morphology-adapting product. We have a concept in mind, but for now, it’s confidential, so you’ll have to sit tight.

éKosse, armchair designed by Caroline Saier with the kind contribution of Pascal Gentil

Catherine Bouvard: You are already familiar with design processes?

Pascal Gentil: Yes, we quite often have designers call on us for consulting missions. We always take part in our customers’ research projects. This is part of our daily routine.

Catherine Bouvard: How would you rate this collaboration?

Pascal Gentil: This collaboration went very smoothly schedule-wise. I did not expect Caroline to build her armchair as quickly as she did, and was pleasantly surprised. Once she had chosen a solution, Caroline had to find the material herself, a honeycomb fabric, needed to bring the project to life, and design the prototype from A to Z. Despite the tight timeframe, she pulled it off.

Catherine Bouvard: In the end, it wasn’t quite exactly the material originally specified…

Pascal Gentil: …No, but it wasn’t too far off from the one she had in mind from the initial concept. Since it became clear that we would not receive the honeycomb fabric in time, Caroline created a substitution with her very own hands.

Catherine Bouvard: Do you think the outcome of the project meets the research objectives?

Pascal Gentil: We have not yet defined this material’s shelf life, nor do we know if its shape will stand the test of wear and time. The marketability of a product depends on such criteria. So, our next step should be to proceed to testing several materials which fulfill this function.

Catherine Bouvard: Do you think this concept could appeal to manufacturers?

Pascal Gentil: The singular approach on which this project is based could be applied during exhibits. Visitors who express more interest in rigid products than stretchy, foam ones may be particularly drawn to the concept. Caroline and I had also considered revamping the product using shape memory materials. Using a smart material would flesh out the concept.

Catherine Bouvard: What type of material do you have in mind?

Pascal Gentil: Metals and plastics work best when it comes to shape memory materials. You can also create composites. It would require finding a shape memory, thermoplastic material that holds its shape up to 60°C, and would return to its initial shape when heated, for example, with a hair dryer.

Catherine Bouvard: Let’s get back to the furnishings industry. You mentioned eco-design and health, but do you ever receive requests that have nothing to do with either of these topics?

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