10 DAYS TO GO October is flying by and another #CountdownToIMCC milestone is here. With the environment as a key focus of this year’s conference, Design Director Mhairi Naismith has shared some insights on how Studio MB is working to strengthen our commitment to sustainable exhibition design. Careful consideration is being given to our current project at the Horniman Museum in South London, where we utilised a high percentage of recycled content that can be reused or further recycled after the exhibition’s lifespan. For areas that will require more frequent updates, enlisting materials and finishes that can be easily altered by the in-house team serves to reduce waste. We are carefully designing existing timber display cases to be reusable, reducing the embodied carbon emitted from transport and the production of new glass and steel cases. We worked alongside @Glasshaus https://lnkd.in/e_5y4DKd) to demonstrate that these refurbished cases achieved an Air Exchange rate of 0.13%, and so will be able to provide a safe and stable display of collections for years to come. Click the link below to read her full thoughts.
We recently celebrated our 20th Birthday at Studio MB, and what a journey it has been – there is a lot that we look back on with pride. But we’ve been doing some soul searching of late, reflecting on where we are going and how can we become better than we are now. For me, sustainability is the key to this. What I mean here is holistic sustainability: economic, social and environmental. This is broad by definition, and touches every aspect of ‘what we do’. It is not a fourth pillar to the trinity of Cost, Time and Quality – it is the network that connects and bolsters them all if it is put in place with thought, care and expertise. Through this lens, we can look at ‘what we do’ at Studio MB in three areas: 1. The designs we produce - I like the question 'is that necessary'? - How transformative it can be. It forces us to keep only the parts of the design that are important. By doing less, we can save energy, carbon, time, money, and leave less to be dealt with after the lifetime of the exhibition. Before I talk myself out of a job here, the word ‘necessary’ is critical- this can be defined for a given project by the aims, the audience, and the lifespan of the project, and becomes an invaluable yardstick for design decisions. 2. The way we function– we’re on a learning curve with this and are working towards ISO 14001 certification. Whilst we are not perfect, there is a sincere appetite in our team to improve things from the inside out and we are thrilled to have taken this (somewhat overdue) step, among others, to do better. 3. How we can be agents of change- for our own sanity and consciences as designers, we need to drive changes in how our industry produces Exhibitions. We want to talk about this more and amplify these conversations to further extend the reach of these benefits. We have had the privilege of working with the Horniman Museum and Gardens on their ambitious Nature and Love project, which exemplifies the approach to sustainability that we are working to embed. We've learned a lot from the process, client team, and our excellent collaborators on this project - we can’t wait for the world to see it 💫