Introduction

In this interview, we speak with Swiss industrial designer Yves Ebnöther, who combines parametric design, sustainability, and digital fabrication to create innovative furniture solutions. Yves, who researches and teaches at ZHAW Zürich University of Applied Sciences and runs his own design studio, discusses how his early inspiration from iconic designs like Hans Coray's Landi chair shaped his approach to material optimization.

We dive into Yves' notable project, "Stool around the MAK," exploring how parametric tools like Grasshopper and ShapeDiver facilitate rapid customization and user-friendly manufacturing workflows. Yves emphasizes the transformative potential of technologies such as Shaper Origin,  a handheld CNC router that combines traditional manual woodworking with computer-controlled precision, highlighting their role in making precision craftsmanship accessible to beginners and experts alike.

This interview is particularly valuable for designers, architects, and makers interested in understanding how parametric design and digital fabrication tools can drive sustainability and adaptability in furniture production. Yves also shares his vision for integrating artificial intelligence into the design process, paving the way for broader accessibility and innovation within the industry. Let’s dive in!

1. Hi Yves. Thank you for joining us. Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm an industrial designer in Switzerland with a strong interest in digital fabrication. I studied in the UK and now live in Zürich with my wife and son. I teach at ZHAW Zürich University of Applied Sciences at the new Institute for Building Technology and Processes and run an independent office for industrial design and product development.

2. What first attracted you to furniture design, especially within the context of material optimization?

One of my first icons of Design was the Landi chair by Hans Coray, made from aluminum in 1939. Like many designs of that time, it used material cleverly, which sparked my interest in achieving a maximum effect with the least amount of material possible.

3. Can you explain the process behind the "Stool around the MAK" project and how parametric design influenced it?

"Stool Around the World" started as a demonstrator project in Addis Ababa for the university's prototyping laboratory. We used recycled material from the local market. It quickly became clear that it would be beneficial to have a configurator for the design to adapt it to changing material and need parameters. The search for an openly accessible parametric file format led me back in 2010 to the parametric SVG format, then hosted by a FabLab in the Netherlands.

4. Your MAK workshop used an online application powered by ShapeDiver to translate user inputs into CNC cutting plans. How did Grasshopper parameters balance user customization with manufacturing constraints in this project?

For us, it was very important to be able to adapt the design of a stool or a bench quickly to changing material parameters and user needs. We didn't go very deep into embedding manufacturing-related constraints but integrated some aesthetic considerations into the design definition. Grasshopper was crucial to achieving this.

5. Tell us about Shaper and why their Origin machine was also crucial for this stool project.

Shaper Origin, for us, is a game-changer technology. It combines manual work like a traditional router with computer-controlled added precision. The process is very easy and safe to learn. It's inexpensive, and even novices can use it competently after half an hour of training, enabling them to create parts with a precision of a 10th of a millimeter.

6. How do platforms like ShapeDiver help you connect with clients and other experts?

ShapeDiver is a key ingredient because it allows us to publish our parametric designs online and make them accessible to our workshop participants via their smartphones. Furthermore, it allows us to share designs with students, clients, and collaborators regardless of the platform they work on.

7. When designing parametric systems for non-experts, what safeguards do you implement to prevent invalid inputs while maintaining creative freedom?

In the context of research and artistic exploration, we actually welcome invalid inputs and quirky outcomes, as they illustrate the current limitations of technology and sometimes even lead to new insights.

8. Your research focuses on mass-producing reuse furniture. How do you bridge the gap between one-off prototypes and scalable production pipelines?

This is a very good question! The honest answer is, we are working on it. It's in the nature of reusing and upgrading furniture to work with smaller production batches than in serial mass manufacture but of course our aim is to apply our findings and methods on a large scale.

9. Looking ahead, where do you see the intersection of parametric design, Grasshopper, and online platforms like ShapeDiver taking the furniture and construction industries, and how do you plan to contribute to that evolution?

Developing intelligent parametric designs in Grasshopper still requires specific knowledge and is quite an investment, especially in working with reused components and recycled materials. A huge thanks to my colleague Edurne Morales, who set up the configurator for our latest projects. In parallel, we are exploring how artificial intelligence can help create parametric designs more easily and in a shorter amount of time, thus enabling more people to harness the incredible power of the technology, especially regarding sustainability.

- Thank you for taking some time to answer these questions!

Thank you for the interesting questions and the opportunity to share some thoughts!

That's it for this new edition of Designers Corner. Don't forget to visit Yves's portfolio and follow him on LinkedIn!

Would you like to get featured in this space? Please email us at contact@shapediver.com and tell us about your project or brand! We'd love to start a conversation.