Launched at Norway’s Milan showcase, Norwegian Presence, Bello! is the first product collaboration between Lars Beller Fjetland and Hydro, the country’s leading specialist in renewable energy and low-carbon aluminium
The collaboration continues Hydro’s tradition of partnering with designers throughout Norway to explore and promote the creative potential – and sustainability credentials – of aluminium as a design material, while sending one of Scandinavia’s most well-known designers in an new creative direction.
Named with a portmanteau in honour of both its creators, Bello! is a bench made from almost 90% recycled – and 100% recyclable aluminium, giving it a minimised carbon footprint, one-fifth of the global average.
Lightweight, strong, highly durable and available in custom lengths and heights, Bello! was conceived as an indoor/outdoor seating solution with public transportation hubs in mind. The internal support structure of the bench allows for additions such as tables, lamps, and chargers to be easily integrated, as well as enabling multiple benches to be seamlessly joined together. Because Bello! can be produced in a wide spectrum of different colours using natural anodising, it can be customised to suit the style of any setting, domestic, municipal, or commercial.
Bello! is produced by the process of extrusion, in which heated metal is pushed through a shaped opening using a press to create the desired shape – similar to the way in which one makes churros, or pasta shapes such as rigatoni or penne. In fact, as a lover of Italian cuisine, Beller Fjetland very much had penne rigate in mind when developing the concept.
The process of extrusion was both relatively new territory for the designer, well known for the honest materiality he brings to designs in wood or metal. Working with Hydro’s engineers, and taking advantage of 3D printing to minimise wasted resources in development, Beller Fjetland created several prototypes and proofs of concept before deciding on the final extruded shape. He chose to give Bello! A subtly ridged surface texture – reminiscent of penne – that adds a touch of softness and tactility to the bench.
‘The subtle ridges add so much value – you just have to run your fingers across the surface. These tactile discoveries mean so much to me. With this design I really wanted to emphasise the possibilities of extruded aluminium. It is very much a culmination of everything I appreciate – from the planes, trains and buses that were designed in the 1930s–1970s, to brutalist architecture and, last but not least, past,’ he says.
Hydro has instituted a programme of collaboration with designers such as Lars Beller Fjetland in order to drive innovation in the design industry and encourage the creation of more sustainable products in recyclable aluminium.
‘At Hydro, we believe that more sustainable design starts with more sustainable production. Aluminium is looked upon as the metal of the future, offering unparalleled strength, durability, and recyclability. Its properties make it an ideal choice for a wide range of applications, and our commitment to reducing CO2 emissions by 30% by 2030 positions us at the forefront of more sustainable innovation. Collaborating with talented designers like Lars Beller Fjetland is crucial to unlocking the full potential of aluminium as a design material,’ says Asle Forsbak, Hydro marketing director.
‘I have been aiming towards creating something that should be able to not only last, but also fulfil its purpose for hundreds of years into the future. My personal belief is that we haven’t even scratched the surface of what’s possible with this ingenious method of manufacturing,’ says Beller Fjetland.
