Upstart Spanish designer Nagami partnered this year with the prolific firm Zaha Hadid Architects on a pair of chairs reminiscent of coral reefs that stretch the potential of 3D printing beyond small, simple products to dazzling works of art. ZHA’s Rise and Bow chairs (which each sell for approximately $23,000) were manufactured by Nagami’s proprietary software, which translates designs into digital models and then analyzes them for manufacturing feasibility, flagging possible issues such as surfaces that might not be stable. Once the models were finalized, robotic arms printed the pieces in biodegradable, plant-based plastic. The process dramatically reduces the environmental toll of producing high-end furniture, which typically involves parts shipped from all over the world. Even as Nagami, founded in 2016 in the ancient city of Ávila, expands its own line of furniture, cofounder Manuel Jiménez García plans to license software so that other furniture makers can deploy it in their own warehouses. “In the future, manufacturing will be reduced to a cheap, automated process,” he says. “The code will be all that matters.”
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
