FORBO & TOKYO ZOKEI UNIVERSITY
In January of 2020, Forbo Flooring Systems connected with the Zokei University in Tokyo, to discuss a potential collaboration. Together with Professor Toshiaki Morita the project scope was discussed, in which Furniture Linoleum would be the starting point.
To approach this collaboration from a fresh angle, Toshiaki proposed to involve the FUTURE LIFE FACTORY, a studio in Panasonic’s Design Centre specialized in cutting-edge development. They are always rethinking the question: what will living well mean in the future?
With two online seminars, one taken care of by FUTURE LIFE FACTORY by Panasonic design and one by Forbo Flooring, the project was officially underway. Instead of focusing on the traditional application areas of Furniture Linoleum, a more out-of-the-box project was defined. Finally, a total of 9 students were divided into 5 teams, each working on different themes such as ‘kids toys’, ‘goods for the office’ and ‘daily goods for living alone’.
Via online Zoom meetings the students shared the progress of their designs, supporting each other in the development of their concept. Weekly and monthly meetings were set up with the tutors, FUTURE LIFE FACTORY by Panasonic design and Forbo Flooring, during which the students presented their ideas for input and feedback.
After the concepts were finalised, mock-ups were made based on instructions given by the students. To help realise this, Forbo Flooring provided them with all the Furniture Linoleum material they needed.
In March of 2021, the final prototypes were exhibited in Tokyo for one week, and five professional short films were produced to explain the projects. To see the different films, simply click on one of the corresponding tabs above.