nendo: ALCANTARA® non-slip birdhouse at the MAXXI

'non-slip birdhouse' by nendo
all photos by hiroshi iwasaki


the 'can you imagine' exhibition at the MAXXI in rome, invited ten designers to create new works using ALCANTARA®
(see designboom's article 'ALCANTARA® is not a fabric…', a suede-like artificial leather. japanese designer nendo
was one of the selected for which he created the 'non-slip birdhouse'.

for the development of his project, nendo investigated ALCANTARA®'s many material qualities, particularly its suede-like texture
which offers a non-slip surface. with this in mind, nendo decided to create a series of birdhouses that take advantage of this characteristic,
finishing both the houses and a slanting wall in the hi-tech material. the special finish allows the birdhouses to stay on the wall
through friction alone, without the use of any glue or screws, demonstrating the charm of ALCANTARA®.

the 'can you imagine' exhibition runs from october 6th through november 7th.



profile view

nendo developed both the birdhouses and the slanting wall for which they are displayed in ALCANTARA®






because of ALCANTARA®'s characteristic non-slip surface, the birdhouses remain attached to the wall solely by means of friction






full view



cut outs of the birdhouses before assembly



concept sketch


concept sketch