Designer Linda Bergroth was awarded the Sustainability Award for Zero Waste Bistro at the Frame Awards Ceremony, held in Amsterdam on February 20, 2019. The Sustainability Award recognizes design solutions that control the social, economic and environmental footprints of an interior or a spatial project.

Zero Waste Bistro, a temporary restaurant commissioned by the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York was presented at WantedDesign Manhattan, during NYCxDesign in May 2018. Designed by Linda Bergroth, and co-curated by Bergroth and designer Harri Koskinen, Zero Waste Bistro was built on themes of circular economy, new material innovations, and sustainable design.

“We aimed to create an eye-opener, a statement, a trigger for discussion on how critical it is to embrace sustainability in everything we do – how every design project should be about sustainability. The resonance for Zero Waste Bistro has been overwhelming and we’re very excited being recognized by Frame”, states the Executive Director of the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, Kaarina Gould, who commissioned the project.

The space, designed by Linda Bergroth was crafted entirely of recycled and recyclable materials, using sustainable design pieces – iconic Finnish furniture and tableware that last from generation to generation. Each partner and collaborator was invited through the curating process and selected on the basis of their stake in sustainability. The Finnish Design Shop and Artekbrought in sustainable made-to-last tableware and furniture; Durat launched their new recycled composite collection; Kotkamills presented their repulpable disposable cups; Sulapac a completely new plastic-free packaging material; Oklin the 24h food compostor and Finnair as a sustainable airline flew the designers and chefs in from Helsinki to New York. The drinks for the daily cocktail hours were provided by Kyrö Distillery, world’s northernmost distillery known for their award-winning Napue Gin.

“I’m so thrilled to be awarded and for a project like Zero Waste Bistro to be recognized this way. This was a dream project to work on, I loved the challenge of having an uncompromising brief to design something that would truly be about the circular economy and bring something new to the language of sustainable design”, says designer Bergroth.

The Helsinki-based Restaurant Nolla was invited to create the food concept for Zero Waste Bistro. Their philosophy is simple: “Refuse, reduce, reuse, and only as a last resource, recycle.” To successfully complete the zero-waste ideology, Nolla founders Luka Balac, Albert Franch Sunyer, and Carlos Henriques work directly with producers to rethink, reject and control packaging. The menu for the Zero Waste Bistro tasting sessions reflected the Nordic heritage of the chef’s home town Helsinki, as well as their Mediterranean roots. Everything was sourced from sustainable producers, without packaging.

The Frame Awards

The Frame Awards, hosted by Frame, a leading media platform for design professionals, identify and honor the world’s best interior projects and the people behind them. In total 34 awards are divided under Spatial, Executional, and Societal Awards covering the entire spectrum of interiors. frameawards.com

Winners of Frame Awards 2019
https://www.frameweb.com/news/frame-awards-2019-winners-list

More about Zero Waste Bistro
http://fciny.org/projects/zero-waste-bistro

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on our latest projects and events.

The Finnish Cultural Institute in New York operates in the fields of contemporary art, design, and architecture, creating dialogue between Finnish and American professionals and audiences. We aim to be a dynamic agent in the cross-Atlantic cultural exchange, recognizing timely critical ideas and debates in the visual fields and producing thought-provoking contributions of our own. The Institute is a 501(c)3 Private Foundation. fciny.org

The Helsinki-based Restaurant Nolla started from the need to rethink the restaurant industry. Our philosophy is simple: “Refuse, reduce, reuse, and only as a last resource, recycle.” To successfully complete the zero-waste ideology, we work directly with producers to rethink, reject and control packaging. Local and organic ingredients, as well as overlooked byproducts of our food system, are the building blocks of our dishes. restaurantnolla.com

Linda Bergroth is a Helsinki and Paris-based designer, whose projects range from industrial design and interior architecture to creating sets. Bergroth moves fluently between different scales fusing commercial and experimental, lasting and temporary. In her work, Nordic traditions encounter bold and unpredictable ideas with a surprising outcome. Bergroth’s vision is valued by leading Nordic design brands such as Fiskars, Marimekko, and Artek. For Zero Waste Bistro, Linda has designed the space as well as the bespoke dining table and table set. lindabergroth.com

Harri Koskinen’s uncompromising bold design aesthetic has gained him international recognition since the early days of his career. A spare style and a conceptual approach to product and spatial design are Koskinen’s trademarks. In 2009, Koskinen launched his first namesake collection, Harri Koskinen Works. Koskinen’s works have been on display in exhibitions around the world. He has been awarded several major design prizes and works with brands such as Muji, Design House Stockholm, Iittala, and Genelec. His Block Lamp is in the permanent collection on MoMA. harrikoskinen.com