the Furniture System infinitely expanding in space
Milan 20154
Italy
The Norman Foster Foundation and Tecno are pleased to present Cosmos, the Furniture System infinitely expanding in space.
Set to debut during the Milan Design Week 2024, the Cosmos Table and Furniture System, an initiative of the Design and Innovation Unit of the Norman Foster Foundation, has been created with the ambition of exploring the limits of materials in the field of furniture and product design. The Norman Foster Foundation has been advancing research on the design of this system since 2019, now produced in collaboration with Tecno.
Cosmos is a modular furniture system that opens up to endless connections and layouts: single desks, meeting tables, shared workstations and equipped bookcases, all freely configurable and combinable with one another while offering the possibility of including wiring, screens, extensions and lighting.
The design feature is the use of the least amount of material possible. For this purpose, an innovative structural concept has been developed: a slender, iconic and elegant solution accommodating all the needs of cross-functional environments which require a fluid use of the space, from executive environments to campus and hotel settings; from libraries and lounges to public areas and the home.
Experimental
Informed by materials research by the aviation industry and the racing frames of the cycling world, the aesthetics and structure have been refined through the use of state-of-the-art aluminium manufacturing technology and advanced 3D modelling software to achieve maximum efficiency of geometry and solidity with minimalist elegance.
Slender
The aesthetic of Cosmos grows out of the outstanding strength of the spine with its cluster of four ellipses that branch, like a tree into the legs and top supports. Following the maxim of “doing more with less”, the system is typified by the minimum number of components; each one of which is homed to its most slender profile.
Modular
Following the systems approach to design. Practised by Norman Foster since the 1960s, Cosmos is a family of interchangeable components. These allow the spine to grow and double up, providing an instinctive range of variations. At the small scale, the table is ideal for domestic or executive spaces, with its wider range of elements, which are easily added or removed. The system can be tuned for large scale installations in the workplace—from office and studios to high industry.
Norman Foster, President of Norman Foster Foundation, Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners, stated: “Cosmos explores the potential for state-of-the-art fabrication and materials to create an elegant and flexible skeleton system for the workplace and the home”.
Giuliano Mosconi, Chairman of Tecno S.p.A. said: ‘By developing this new product, Tecno confirms its vision linked to experimentation and creativity while continuing to promote the values of design, excellence and innovation’.
Conference: Monday April 15 at 3pm
ADI Design Museum, Piazza Compasso d’Oro 1, Milan
With the participation of Norman Foster, President of Norman Foster Foundation; Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners, Luciano Galimberti, President, ADI Design Museum, Giuliano Mosconi, Chairman of Tecno S.p.A., and Deyan Sudjic, Writer and Broadcaster; Honorary Trustee, Norman Foster Foundation.
Space is limited. If you are interested in attending the conference, please contact us at rsvp@normanfosterfoundation.org.
