Biography:
Alberto Vendrame was born near Venice in 1976. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees with the highest honours at the Faculty of Design and Arts of the University IUAV of Venice. Since then he has worked freelance, and with architect Tobia Scarpa: he deals with product and interior design, exhibitions, graphics, visual communication and photography. His main concept is the attempt to combine new technologies, 3D printing and CNC processing, with his passion for craftsmanship and traditional materials. Transformability, personalization, adaptability, reuse and recyclability are distinctive features of his projects. Since 2006 he has taught design at the Polytechnic of Milan, the Politecnico Calzaturiero in Strà (PD), Accademia del Lusso in Milan, Faculty of Design of the University of San Marino and at the European Institute of Design (IED) of Venice.
Concept:
A solid wood chair, which combines crafting expertise and CNC processing, skillfully assembling wood scraps and debris. A solid wood table, with a structure that makes it possible to disassemble and pack it tight despite its 2.4-meter length. A tree that gives shape to memories, creating an object that will grow and change over time, in relation to people's desires and their interaction with it. The underlying thread is the idea of "Industrial Craftsmanship", understood as a new conception of craftsmanship that relies on contemporary industrial design, CNC production tools, and the use of natural, recyclable and eco-compatible raw materials: first and foremost, wood, chosen for its authenticity, its capacity to be hewn, and the potential for reusing wood scraps and waste from earlier working processes. Aging not wasting: products designed to last, to change over time.
Products:
Silvia
Rethinking a classic: a solid wood chair, made of materials selected among the species of trees native to the Venetian Pre-Alps. They can be matched in infinite variations, allowing the use of scrap material from previous working processes. Poplar was chosen because it is light-weight, easy to work with and widespread throughout the territory. The joints are made by 5-axis CNC machines.
![](/ckfinder/userfiles/images/VendrameAlberto_DIN2019_Silvia_291.jpg)
Gian “Gian” is a solid wood table that combines lightness with structural necessity. A simple hidden structure has been introduced to prevent the bending which is inevitable in spans this long: it also allows the table to be disassembled, packaged, and easily carried. Its transformability is key to the mechanical solution to the static and dynamic problems posed by the use of wood. The legs are made of poplar and are CNC machined; the top can be customized with decorations made of wood scraps.
![](/ckfinder/userfiles/images/VendrameAlberto_DIN2019_Gian_292(1).jpg)
Crescita
"Crescita", which means "growth", is a reinterpretation of the "child's diary": a tree on which to record thoughts, memories, moments and stories that mark the life of your child. From birth to adulthood and, why not, to the moment when the child becomes a parent, and begins to write the book himself. When the time comes, the parent will insert a leaf to mark the child's height, write down the date and any personal thoughts. And so on for the next leaf, and the next: the tree grows taller and changes shape as the child grows up, recording his most significant moments. A continuous, uninterrupted, random and circular flow. Rather than a simple sign on a wall or a book that will be stored in a drawer, a unique and personal object that will grow with the child, and bring back memories in the future when he reads his old leaves. All the components are assembled reusing wood waste material from previous working processes.