Like many designers, Sean Yu has a love for all things concrete. However this young industrial designer from 22designstudio has discovered a fresh approach with his concrete rings. Pirak Anurakyawachon reports.


Concrete has a long historic association as a building mate-rial. We see concrete as the symbol of rapid urban redevelopment and architects assert the values of concrete both in the abstract and the physical. How-ever, the concrete rings created by 28 year-old Taipei designer, Sean Yu, will completely change your perception of how we can utilize concrete. Sean spoke about the inspiration of his designs to us.


“Possibly, because of my background as a product designer I became interested in cement as a material. We can see concrete buildings every-where in architecture and in urban life. But there are still a lot of possibilities to use cement in the design process.”


The concrete ring collection includes various designs and each is created to relate to different characteristics, such as 7 DAYS. This seven sided ring represents the seven days of the week. Another design, called the ROCK focuses on the interplay between light and shadow. Wearing this ring we sense the effects of light and texture. Although the designs vary, all are produced with the same quality of craftsmanship.


“The fabrication process is just like making a building.” Sean says. “Putting the stain-less steel ring first, then grout the concrete into the mould. I have tried and experimented with various mixtures of liquid cement, with some professors in my university. The crucial part is how to make the surface perfect.”


Sean established his business soon after graduating from the industrial design department of Cheng Kung University in Tai-wan. He set up 22designstudio with his friend, Yiting Cheng, and named the studio “22” with a simple reason to keep the passions and ideals they had when they were at that age.


“We are still very young and lack experience. We are very happy that the business is getting better. At least we can pay the bills by ourselves. Most of our customers are people who love cutting edge products. They think independently and are sensitive to materials. We have received a lot of feedback from customers. It helps us to improve our products and also increases our confidence to keep doing what we are doing now.”


In the past few years Taiwan has been known for it’s IT development and Chinese pop culture. However, Sean shared some interesting insights on current Taiwanese design businesses.


“Creative industrial design is still a new kind of concept in Taiwan. But more people believe it will be the future of Taiwan. There are a lot of companies with very strong manufacturing background devoted to the design business. I think I am lucky to be in Taiwan at this moment. I am not a complicated person, so, I am still working on the concrete ring seriously. In the future, I hope 22design studio can bring something positive to the world”.



For those interested, make your fingers available for 22 designstudio concrete rings at the art4d booth in the Architects’ Expo 09 this coming April. []