During the Impact! Design for Social Change program, we had the opportunity to meet several designers professionals and innovators in the fields of social change and different fields of design.
On one occasion, we headed to the meat packing district to meet with Giuseppe Lignano of LOT-EK, a design studio that is recognized mostly for their architectural designs created out of objects that originally intended for another use. LOT-EK "upcycles" instead of recycles objects by using pieces that already exist and incorporating them into their designs for another use rather than decompose them to their original state and then transform them into something else. The company has a strong emphasis on conserving materials and energy by coming up with innovative solutions.
"LOT-EK has achieved high visibility in the architecture/design/art world for its sustainable and innovative approach to construction, materials and space through the adaptive reuse of existing industrial object and systems not originally intended for architecture. LOT-EK is also recognized for the use of technology as an integral part of architecture, for addressing issues of mobility and transformability in architecture and for blurring the boundaries between art, architecture and entertainment. Its projects are published in national and international publications, magazines and books, including The New York Times, The London Times, Herald Tribune, The Wall Street journal, Wallpaper, Domus, A+U, Interior Design, Wired, Surface, Metropolis, Vogue, Graphis and more. LOT-EK’s first monograph, URBANSCAN, was published by PAP in February 2002. LOT-EK MIXER, by Edizioni Press, came out in 2000 and MDU Mobile Dwelling Unit, published by DAP, came out in June 2003."
Taken from SVA website
