Designing silence — Evavaara Design and Materflow at the heart of 3D printing
Finnish Evavaara Design is a European pioneer in functional furniture. The company has responded to the challenges of a changing world by designing acoustic furniture and innovative workspaces. In the manufacture of these products, Materflow’s 3D printing expertise has played a key role.
As working life evolves, open-plan offices have become the norm and remote work continues to grow — and spatial solutions must evolve alongside them. Finnish Evavaara Design has met this challenge by developing a range of innovative workspace solutions, including the “sshhh” series of acoustic workstations, which provide a calm environment for focused work.
“95 per cent of our products go to export,” says Antti Evavaara. “Universities, airports, museums and libraries — as well as the corporate world — have discovered our solutions, and we have been particularly praised not only for our acoustics but for our ventilation,” he notes.
Design and functionality
The products in Evavaara Design’s “sshhh” series combine aesthetics with practicality. The “sshhh 3”, for example, is a mobile workspace that folds neatly into a cabinet at the end of the working day and can be pushed against a living room wall or tucked away wherever it is needed.
“The mobility of our furniture and workspaces is something our customers value enormously. For many, it is actually the deciding factor — the workspace is always used wherever it is needed most within an organisation,” says Antti Evavaara.
“Acoustic solutions of this kind are often so heavy that moving them requires significant manpower or equipment — but our solutions move effortlessly from one workstation to another under the user’s own power,” Evavaara emphasises.
Innovative solutions of this kind demand precise design and high-quality components — and that is where Materflow’s 3D printing technology comes in.
“Even the logo on our furniture is made by Materflow,” Evavaara laughs.
The advantages of 3D printing from a designer’s perspective
The collaboration with Materflow has enabled Evavaara Design to develop and bring products to market quickly. The flexibility of 3D printing has been central when individual solutions are needed without major investment in conventional manufacturing methods.
Materflow’s 3D printing enables:
- Rapid prototyping — New parts can be tested and developed quickly.
- Tailored solutions — Parts can be designed precisely to meet Evavaara Design’s requirements.
- Strength and lightness — Printed parts are both durable and lightweight, which is essential for mobile workspaces and the high quality of the furniture.
“There is one thing I want to mention that many small business owners might not think about,” Evavaara reflects. “Having just a few parts 3D printed is genuinely affordable. If you had to commission a mould first, many businesses would run out of budget before they even got started. And what if you then want to make a one-millimetre adjustment to a couple of parts?” he laughs.
“With 3D printing, small-batch production and design changes are remarkably straightforward and cost-effective,” he emphasises.
More information: Evavaara Design: https://evavaaradesign.com/
