Industrial Facility design office

Industrial Facility was formed in 2002 to explore the junction between industrial design and the world around us. The office designs objects of varying purpose in relation to their spatial, cultural and performative landscapes for international companies operating in international markets. Areas of work include products, furniture, exhibitions, transportation and clothing. The office has emerged as one of the most progressive and creative design offices working in industrial design.

The studio was founded in 2002, when Hecht and Colin were working at the design consultancy IDEO. Hecht is a London-born industrial designer who studied at the RCA, while Colin trained as an architect at SCI-Arc in her native California. From the beginning, the pair have been joined at Industrial Facility by the designer Ippei Matsumoto, whom Hecht had previously worked with in Japan. “The idea behind the studio was that we would combine our disciplines,” says Colin. “Product designers are typically thinking about the object: the surface of the object, the edges of the object and that’s where it stops. They’re not thinking about context so much and architecture is all about context.” Last year, the studio celebrated its 10th anniversary. “It was a nice moment to reflect,” says Hecht. “We had a party.” [1]

Through Industrial Facility's clear and focused approach to design, familiar objects are fundamentally investigated and contextualised so that their potential for progress is revealed. Areas of design include furniture, electronics, consumer products, cultural institutions, transportation and clothing. Industrial Facility has received many design awards, including, in 2012, its fourth IF Hannover Gold Award. In 2011, the office won the prestigious Designs of the Year Award for Furniture; while Sam Hecht became a Royal Designer for Industry and was nominated for the Prince Philip Designer's Prize. Work is included in the permanent collections of many major museums including MoMA, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; State Museum of Applied Arts, Munich; the Museum fur Kunsthandwerk, Frankfurt; San Francisco MOMA; Design Museum, London; and the Art Institute, Chicago. In 2008 a retrospective exhibition 'Industrial Facility; Some Recent Projects', was exhibited at the Design Museum, London. [2]

[1] Ref. http://disegnodaily.com/features/industrial-facility

[2] Ref. http://www.londondesignfestival.com/events/retail-facility-pop-shop