We are exploring the features and possibilities of cork as natural, eco-material for industrial design applications. Besides being a natural and recyclable material, cork has specific behavior which still can't be immitated by sintectic substitutes - this makes cork irreplaceble in some specialized high-tech applications. Therefor cork is a very unique material that can offer very sofisticated solutions.
Our interest lies in finding smart applications of cork for everyday objects.

These handcrafted drinking cups, designed for the 1st DFF exhibition, initiate a whole series to explore the specific features of cork. The shown examples point out antibacterial capacities, sound and temperature isolation through different applications.

A bowl explores the capacity of cork to preserve fruit and vegetables for longer periods of time.

Other products with cork:
- VASO 2.0 - The traditional flower pot improved by cork
- CS-USB - Light weight, vibration damping desktop speakers for laptops

> The natural benefits of Cork
Our interest in cork lies in the contradiction between being a totally natural material with many unique features on one side and its lack of applications in industrial-product design. The cork life cycle, from production to recycling, is a clean one, without any by-products: all waste from production; lower quality material or obsolete product is grind to obtain the granules from which are made recycled cork blocks. This new material has almost the same qualities as natural cork and is used to manufacture a wide range of products: from footwear to automobile applications. In some applications of the aerospace and chemical industry it has no synthetic substitutes, due to its high resistance to extreme conditions.
More, cork bark is still harvested from the tree in a centuries old tradition with hand tools; the water in which the material has to be boiled after collected is not polluted by the process; all means to work and prepare cork are mechanical based and even the dust resulting from this is used to generate electric energy.

Besides its eco-qualities, cork has an ancient presence in traditional artifacts in the south of Portugal, where our investigation is based. Here, in the dry landscapes of the interior of Algarve and Alentejo, people have an old relation with the cork oak tree and a deep knowledge of its material. It is part of a popular culture (lost in the urban areas), present in everyday rituals and objects - from drinking vessels (which shape is directly cut off the tree) to seating benches.

> The material Cork
Cork is the name of the bark of the cork oak tree; better, it is the vegetable tissue, from which it is extracted. According to botanic histology, this material (also known as súber) is, in general, correspondent to our skin.
The structure and chemical composition of cork give it remarkable properties: its tissue is 89,7% comprised of an air-like gas that makes the material very lightweight (0,16g per cubic centimeter) and low density; impervious to liquids, a very good thermal insulator; chemically stable and mostly unaffected by microbial activity – highly resistant to humidity and oxidation.

Cellular structure:
cork has a honeycomb cellular structure (heptagonal, hexagonal and pentagonal are the most frequent) and each cubic centimeter contains roughly 40 million hexagonal cells.

Chemical composition:
45% suberin (responsible for corks resilience), 27% lignin (the binding compound), 12% cellulose and polysaccharides (cell wall compounds that help define cork texture), 6% tannis (compounds responsible for colouring), 5% wax (hydrophobical compounds that assure the corks impermeability), 5% ashes, among other elements like mineral water, glycerine, etc).

Suberin is the natural waxy substance responsible for making cork anti-allergenic (mold, mites and even termites are repelled by cork) and fire (it is a natural fire inhibitor and also does not release any toxic gases during combustion).
Suberin also prevents cork from rotting even when completely submerged under water for long periods of time.

> The Cork Oak tree and the “Montado”
The cork oak tree (Quercus Suber L.) is a tree from the Fagaceae family, with medium stature, a broad crown and persistent green leaves. Its origin dates from the Tertiary era of the Oligocene period, about 65 million years ago. It is thought to have emerged in the region of the Tyrrhenian Sea and slowly migrated to other locations.
Through out history is known for many different appliances from the use of cork to make useful objects, to its fruits (acorns) sustaining the cattle, or it wood being great fuel. The benefits of cork were known to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians who used it for bottle stoppers for olive oil and wine, floats for fishing nets, sandals, insulation on shipping vessels and even roofing in Northern Africa. The ancient authors called it "the bark tree", in clear reference to its singular capacity of renewing itself continually in every cork extraction. Its medium lifespan oscillates from 170 to 200 years, ceasing production only in case of death or external wounds.
Now is grown primarily around the Western Mediterranean basin (2,2 million he), mainly cultivated in plantations known as "montados" or "montado de sobro" (Portugal, "dehesas" in Spain). The montado ensures the life of its population in areas of hostile climate and poor grounds, as well as it sustains a biodiversity greater than any other agricultural system. Therefore it has a large ecological, economical and social importance.

Portugal has the largest cork production (21% of national forest area) and transformation industry of today.
Already in he 14th century cork was a major export of Portugal and royal decrees established regulations over the harvesting and protection of this valuable national resource. This aimed to prevent indiscriminate harvest or other actions that would damage the montado. However, the structure of systematic exploitation of the montado for production of cork, as we know it today, only started in the second half of the 19 th century.
In the first half of 20th century, the "9 Year" law was passed which forbid the harvesting of cork bark at any interval less than 9 years. Harvesting of virgin growth cork trees is outlawed and other laws concerning maintenance and management of the land gain more expression.