Material ConneXion to Present Beyond the Surface by Forms+Surfaces

Global materials consultancy Material ConneXion will present an exhibition of new products and groundbreaking materials by Forms+Surfaces, one of the world's most advanced design and manufacturing resources, in its New York City showroom at 60 Madison Avenue, from Thursday, October 1 through Friday, October 30.

As part of Material ConneXion's ongoing commitment to presenting exhibitions that explore influential developments of new materials and their potential uses, Beyond the Surface will introduce Forms+Surfaces' revolutionary new Screens program and two of its new proprietary materials. Together, these innovations highlight significant breakthroughs made during the company's recent exploration into transparency, texture and dimension.

Building on the company's rich, 45-year history of creating beautiful, high-performance products for public spaces - from New York City's Hudson River Park and 7 World Trade Center to commercial venues for Apple and Toys"R"Us - Forms+Surfaces Screens program will equip the A&D community with new and limitless ways to shape the built environment.

By offering extraordinary three-dimensional capabilities through innovative combinations of form, texture and light, the Screens program responds to a growing trend in how public spaces are used and defined. Says Forms+Surfaces lead designer Jason Flannery, "public spaces are becoming more and more about the transitions we make as we go about our daily lives. The distinctions between interior and exterior are blurring, as are the distinctions between public and private, large scale and small, domestic and global. Life today takes place in these transition zones. Our ability to give architects and designers the tools they need to shape the public's experience is key."

Drawing upon the company's long-standing tradition of helping specifiers on a custom basis and its extensive surfaces palette, which includes a wide array of high-performance finishes, patterns and surface treatment options, Forms+Surfaces' Screens will enable architects and designers to create a highly customized look without the logistical or budgetary constraints typical of a custom system.

This tremendous aesthetic and functional versatility is matched by the Screens' far-reaching applicability: They can be used as details of a building façade or for outdoor fencing, windscreens, sun screens and green screens. They can be specified as room dividers, partitions, privacy screens or other space-defining features. Or they can be incorporated into wall panels, columns, counter fronts, elevator interiors, doors, lighting, furniture, railing systems and windows. Indoors, outdoors or anywhere in between, Forms+Surfaces' Screens open up an untapped multi-dimensional spectrum of space-shaping, light-directing possibilities.

"Our goal is to break existing boundaries and take architects and designers beyond the realm of what they're accustomed to seeing or imagining when they think of materials," says Forms+Surfaces designer Kati Cesareo. "Forms+Surfaces offers not only a means for creating landmark interior, exterior and transitional spaces, but, in essence, a means of looking beyond two-dimensional solutions."

"Beyond the Surface" will also premier two of the company's new high-performance materials, which incorporate multiple technological advancements developed exclusively by Forms+Surfaces. One of these new additions is Bonded Quartz, a unique polymer matrix composite composed of quartz microspheres bonded together in a tough FRP-reinforced resin matrix.

Unlike anything else on the market, Bonded Quartz joins the company's long list of material innovations, which includes Stainless Steel, Fused Metal, Bonded Metal, Aero Aluminum and Patterned glass. A beautiful and functionally versatile material, it is designed to be used for doors, elevator interiors, wall systems, column covers, custom applications and other architectural accents. Its standard color is white, though custom colors and surface effects are also options, as are numerous patterns and casing types.

All of the innovative new offerings to be presented in Beyond the Surface have been conceived and developed by Forms+Surfaces Design Studio. A collaborative and geographically diverse team, the Design Studio is dedicated to researching the wants and needs of A&D firms around the world in order to leverage existing designs, materials and capabilities while devising new ways of defining space. The Design Studio also works in tandem with the company's in-house Sustainability Team. Together, they monitor the environmental performance of the company's surfaces to ensure that products qualify for International projects facing strict standards and budgets. Offering additional ongoing support, the group is readily available to provide product-specific environmental impact data and help specifiers navigate other sustainability issues.

According to Forms+Surfaces Design Studio Strategist Mary Wessely, by partnering with Material ConneXion to launch its latest offerings, Forms+Surfaces seeks to highlight its position as a "global design resource with products, capabilities and expertise that give specifiers exciting new ways to turn their vision into reality. The exhibition at Material ConneXion allows Forms+Surfaces to showcase what we're doing, where we're going and how our efforts open up truly new worlds of possibilities. Its intent is to be as inspiring as it is informative."

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