We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer PMT Partners Ltd. about their original and creative Exhibition design work. PMT Partners Ltd. is an award-winning creative designer, that makes our world a better place with their original exhibition works.
PMT Partners Ltd. ("PPL") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Sheerin Pavilion Exhibition. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
PPL : Sintered Stone, a large-format, weather-resistant, and durable engineered material, fills the robust demand in the architecture and decoration industry for large-scale stone, significantly reducing environmental resource depletion associated with quarrying. SHEERIN Pavilion for Guangzhou Design Week 2023, serving as a showcase for sintered stone, employs artificial stone to simulate natural rock, capturing the spatial ambiance of an artificially mined stone canyon. This process of simulation and reproduction establishes an intriguing juxtaposition, where the attributes of the material and the spatial atmosphere interchange and blend the concepts of "artificial" and "natural," creating a captivating and playful environment.
PPL : We strive to create a quiet and sacred space that steers clear of dazzling visual effects to encourage reflection and solitude in an era dominated by ubiquitous visual spectacles. Sustainability is a crucial focus for contemplation, and this is precisely why the design places great emphasis on demonstrating recyclable exhibition construction. In China alone, more than 11,000 exhibitions are held annually, attended by a total of 86 million people and generating 119 million cubic meters of construction waste, equivalent to the volume of seven Beijing Olympic stadiums. In the midst of these visually spectacular events, it is essential for us to reflect and act.
PPL : We plan to use this award-winning design as a case study for sustainable development, further deepening its design concepts in environmental protection and sustainability. We will seek to use more eco-friendly materials, adopt energy-saving production processes, and implement strategies for recycling and reuse throughout the product lifecycle to minimize environmental impact and promote efficient resource utilization.
PPL : It took approximately three months to design this particular concept.
PPL : We designed this particular concept to meet the demand for innovative products in the market, combined with creative inspiration from our team.
PPL : We have already produced a prototype and plan to use it for display in our corporate showroom. We currently have no plans to provide it for use by other companies.
PPL : We designed this particular type of work to challenge conventions, explore new creative directions, and deliver a fresh experience to users.
PPL : Yes, we were influenced by other architectural works as well as designs from various other fields, incorporating creative elements and ideas from diverse domains into our design.
PPL : Our design targets users seeking innovation and high-quality products.
PPL : What sets this design apart is its unique combination of sustainability and innovation.
PPL : When naming this design, we chose a name that directly reflects the core functionality and features of the product. The name highlights the main benefits and uses of the product.
PPL : For this project, we used CAD software, 3D modeling tools, and image editing software.
PPL : The SHEERIN Pavilion for 2023 Guangzhou Design Week provides an exhibition space for sintered stones. Artificial stones are employed to simulate the natural ones, aiming to present a spatial ambiance of a mined artificial stone canyon. This simulation and representation create a captivating juxtaposition. The systematic design of space, scene, and structure not only presents the unity of form and force, and the connection between behavior and space, but also provides the possibility of recyclability of the exhibition venue. It is a exploration of sustainable exhibition construction.
PPL : We collaborated with skilled technicians to complete this design.
PPL : Technology played a central role in this design, enabling innovative features and precise execution.
PPL : This is a showcase space for sintered stone materials, primarily aimed at commercial presentation. However, we are keen to avoid overwhelming visual intensity in this commercial exhibition. Therefore, we have created a place of solitude and contemplation through a calm and sacred interior design that is metaphorical of stone mines and caves. To achieve the unique shape of the inverted pyramid, we used PK.PM structural software verifying the feasibility of the steel and timber structure in this configuration, ensuring unity of form and mechanics. The modular design also allows the exhibition space to be reused, which represents our thinking about sustainable design and an attempt to reduce the waste of resources caused by various commercial renovations.
PPL : The most significant challenge in this project is to harmonize the relationship between form and mechanics. Our goal is to create an honest and consistent work that has no discrepancies between its external appearance and its internal forces. For an architect, it is essential to bridge the gap between the invisible forces and the visible form. Therefore, a considerable amount of effort went into structural calculations, iterative development of the form, feedback with the mechanical model and finally the replication of the construction nodes through 1:1 models. Another important consideration was the modular design. To ensure recyclability as part of a sustainable design, we adopted a modular frame system for the skin. At the same time, it was crucial to ensure the convenience of these scaffolds during installation, disassembly, transportation and reassembly. Therefore, a lot of time was invested in iterating the relationships between all components within the entire system.
PPL : We decided to submit our design to an international design competition because we believe it is innovative and unique, worthy of competing with top design works from around the world.
PPL : During the design process of this work, we learned to be more flexible in facing challenges and continuously improve our creativity and problem-solving skills.
PPL : No more, thank you.
