The Publishing House: a Blueprint pavilion at the London Design Fair
Blueprint magazine is collaborating with FleaFollyArchitects and USM modular furniture to create a pavilion at this year's London Design Fair
Blueprint magazine has teamed up with FleaFollyArchitects and USM modular furniture to create The Publishing House at the London Design Fair in the Old Truman Brewery during the London Design Festival.
The Publishing House is a pavilion made out of more than 2,000 modular pieces from USM modular furniture and completely clad on the exterior surface with Blueprint magazines. This will create a small room on the inside, which will be a haven from the hustle and bustle of the show and USM invites you to come in and sit a while and Make It Yours!
Blueprint editor Johnny Tucker says: ‘This is the first time Blueprint has been involved in a pavilion since 1995, when we commissioned Zaha Hadid to produce her first built structure in the UK. This is promising to be every bit as exciting as that!’
The Publishing House will greet visitors as they climb the stairs to the first floor of the London Design Fair. It measures 3.85m x 3.85m and is 3.5m high and will be covered with more than 400 copies of this magazine. In the afternoon of last day of the show (Sunday 25th), the magazines making up the exterior — each of which retails at £30 — will be given away to the public. That’s £10,000 worth of free magazines from The Publishing House.
This pavilion is being built to celebrate ten years of Tent London, founded by Jimmy MacDonald. Super Brands London was added to Tent London in 2010 and this year the umbrella brand, London Design Fair, has been created.
Blueprint has featured the work of FleaFolly Architects a number of times, most recently with the HakFolly installation in St John’s Gate during Clerkenwell Design Week in London in May. The extremely well-received stacked-timber structure, using Hakwood flooring, created ‘a moment of peace’ according to the architects, referencing the area’s monastic history.
FFA says: ‘With The Publishing House, we wanted to create an immediate impact that very quickly became a beacon for the visitors of London Design Fair that stood out from the field of pavilions that surround it. We wanted the piece to simply and clearly illustrate both USM and Blueprint at first glance, whilst creating something curious that will need to be explored further by the public.’
For this pavilion, USM modular furniture has pushed the parameters of what its furniture system is capable of. However, it is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of design, having been responsible for the Rethinking The Modular, design residency and subsequent exhibition during Milan Design Week in 2015.
Ian Weddell UK CEO of USM says: ‘When we were first approached by Blueprint to work with FleaFollyArchitects in developing an installation for London Design Fair we were immediately excited by the potential to create a one off piece of work that showcased USM’s modular capabilities in an unexpected and dynamic structure. FleaFollyArchitects did not disappoint with their initial concepts and the design really celebrates the possibilities of USM.'
A Blueprint pavilion at the London Design Fair (including Tent & Super Brands London) is taking place at Old Truman Brewery, London, E1 from 22-25 September 2016
