We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Carlos Bañon ("CB").
Carlos Banon is an accomplished Architect with a specialization in Digital Processes and Advanced Manufacturing methods. As the Director and Co-founder of AIRLAB Singapore and Partner of Subarquitectura Architects, he has played a pivotal role in driving innovative and sustainable design solutions. Carlos is also an Associate Professor with tenure in Architecture and Sustainable Design at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, where he inspires and mentors the next generation of architects. Carlos holds a M.Arch. with Extraordinary Distinction and has held visiting professorships at renowned institutions such as MIT and EPFL. His expertise in research spans across diverse domains, including 3D Printing in the built environment (3DPA), Geometric Exploration for Sustainable Space Making (GESSM), Artificial Intelligence in structural design, and Affordable Housing. Carlos's work has garnered numerous international awards and accolades, including the Design of the Year Prize by the London Design Museum, the Gold and Silver Medal given by the International Paralympic and Olympic Committees, two Spanish Biennial Prizes, the Mies Van der Rohe Prize nomination, the German Design Award 2020, four SG Marks (Singapore Good Design), two Singapore Design Awards Finalist, and selected as one of the Iconic designs by the German Design Council in 2020. His recent work, AirMesh, received the Singapore PD*A President Design Award, the highest distinction for designs and designers in Singapore, and his projects have been selected for the prestigious Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2018 and 2020. Carlos's dedication and contributions to the field of architecture have made him a respected name in the industry, with a reputation for excellence in design and innovation.
Carlos Bañon Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Carlos Bañon.
Carlos Bañon Design - DB Schenker Upcycling Hub Lunchroom
Carlos Bañon Design - Aitable Furniture
Designer Interview of Carlos Bañon:
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
CB : AirLab focuses on the integration of new technologies, advances in architecture, and provocation into meaningful designs. We love exploring the possibilities of using new technologies in sustainable design: upcycling, recycling and trying to build lighter or less materially dense structures all while challenging new aesthetics.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
CB : Society is really becoming aware of the scarcity of building resources and we’re seeing an increasing demand for recycled and upcycled materials. There’s a need for change in both the way we conceive spaces and the way we build spaces.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
CB : My work has been selected for the Venice Biennale of Architecture this year 2021. As part of the Spanish Pavilion, AIRMESH will be displayed as a proof of concept of a 3D printed space using stainless steel; moreover, the Option Studio on Articulated Vertical Landscapes that I run in collaboration with Prof. Toni Kotnik and Prof. Pia Fricker will be exhibited, displaying a selection of student's works.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
CB : We can’t just ignore the fundamentals of the practice because then the design gets cold. The replacement of that historical sensitivity and intuition can lead to a wrong understanding of design. We need to develop a new kind of sensitivity that integrates the technology with the fundamentals
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
CB : I want to integrate what we study in AirLab into larger constructions and buildings; not just in research pieces but in new structures and developments. I want to bring the design thinking that we use at Subarquitectura to AirLab and, by the end of the year, to begin to merge these two parts of my work into an extended practice