Emerging Sydney based design studio So Watt has won the 2020 German Design Award for its Rover Team Table after being nominated by the German Design Council.
What makes this award and nomination even more remarkable is that Rover is the first offering in commercial furniture from So Watt. Designed and manufactured at So Watt’s studio and manufacturing facility in Marrickville, Sydney, Rover was also recently one of 24 projects to be long-listed by Dezeen for design excellence out of 4,500 entries.
The Rover team table was created to inspire both team collaboration and versatility of space. As with all So Watt designs, sustainability, functionality and design excellence are all evident in this unique piece. Made from laminated Birch plywood, rover features a fingerprint proof and scratch resistant ultra-matt work surface from Italian brand Fenix.
Beauty is also evident in Rover’s simplicity. Designed to be assembled faster than a coffee break, all that’s needed is an Allen key. It features a fully integrated cable management tray that includes mounting plates for a flexible number of GPOs, USBs and other data points, all accessed via matching flush lip with cable gaps. The table can also be configured with one, two or even three modules varying in size from 2.4m to 6.3m in length.
Carefully placed joins and alternating orientations of the ply allow Rover to float with a thin profile that hides it strength and stability. “It can comfortably take the weight of at least two people, should anyone decide to dance a tango on its surface” says Sophie Bain of So Watt.
The Rover team table was created to inspire both team collaboration and versatility of space.
With a focus on the use of sustainable sheet timbers designed to maximise material economy through computer aided design, all off-cuts from the void in the leg design are used to create other product designed and manufactured by So Watt. For the team at So Watt the Rover is a clear articulation of the future of Australian goods-making: ethical, local and inspirational.
