While knowledge is commonly attributed to experience, fresh ideas often come from fresh minds. Taking this perspective to heart, veteran designer and educator Josh Owen developed Metaproject, an experimental industrial design course at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Now in its second year, the course is partnered with the Corning Museum of Glass (CMoG) to challenge students to think in new ways about glass as a creative material. As Metaproject 02 came to a close, the course recently culminated with a showing of select works during this year's NYC Design Week.

"Glass is already playing a vital role in the future of industrial design as many 'futuristic' technologies are moving quickly towards mass-production," said Owen who also noted that besides innovations in architecture and mobile devices he's interested in the more immediate and rudimentary potential that glass holds. The course offeres a rare chance for his students to hunker down and design for two full terms, giving a glimpse into the professional world by seeing their designs grow iteratively from ideation to production. And by exploring with cast glass and recycled glass, many students showed a shared interest in designing for the future with a more immediate application in mind.

August Kawski's "The Receiver" tackles the issue of social disconnectivity by way of technology. Kawaksi sees the heavy weight cast glass object as creating "a physical, visual and auditory barrier—a return to personal communication by freeing oneself from the responsibilities and burdens of the cell phone." By referencing the iconic Dreyfus phone as the object's handle Owen feels it "cements the object's semiotics, making a completely new typology strangely familiar and therefore more intuitive." Also one to challenge the idea of objects as mood altering devices, Dan Ipp also went a similar route with the "Illuminated Side Table." Here the glass tubes diffuse the light to create an ambient mood that welcomes the user to relax.

For more information on the ever evolving Metaproject check the comprehensive PIT site—and keep an eye on Owen as well. To learn more about what the Corning Museum of Glass is up to in the near future swing by NYC's Governers Island this summer to visit the GlassLab, CMoG's glass design workshop and performance center.

Images by Elizabeth Lamark

Among the focused components of the 2012 WantedDesign event calendar, 12x12 stood out as an inspiring exhibition of upcycling and repurposing. The idea was simple—supply 12 designers with timber from 12 demolished New York City buildings to create a piece of furniture. While the work presented by a juried group of Big Apple-based designers made for an impressive collection, there were four that resonated strongly for us.

Water Tower Chair

As the name implies Bellboy's Water Tower Chair takes its shape from planks salvaged from a 10,000-gallon rooftop water tank that once stood atop a Park Avenue co-op. The 40-year-old California Redwood lends its beautiful color and rich grain perfectly. Each 8' plank has been chopped down and consecutively laid to accentuate the lounge chair's flowing, mid-century inspired silhouette.

Round & Round

Hailing from the Bronx, Louis Lim's reclaimed wood was originally erected as structural timber in the 1920s. After so many years of weight bearing the still-strong Heart Pine now finds itself in a significantly less conventional form. Commanding both attention and floor space, the Round & Round bench with drawer represents one of the most creative applications we saw.

Standing Desk

One part desk and two parts shelf, Daskam & Dworkis and Emily A. Martinez's collaborative Standing Desk project is comprised of century-old Heart Pine also originally used as structural timber. While the structure says modern, the spiraling grain and raw nail stains give the shelving structure a one-of-a-kind, worn-in look.

Coney Island Low Table

No stranger to the weight of wandering New Yorkers, Design Brigade's Coney Island Low Table is constructed of wood reclaimed from the legendary boardwalk built in 1947. Curiously enough the non-native hardwood was originally harvested from northern South American rainforests. After over half a century of abuse the weathered wood simply sits to show off its beautifully distinct, dark patina.

Each of the 12 pieces will be auctioned off to benefit Brooklyn Woods, a wood shop job training and education center in NYC. For more information head to 12x12 online.

Images by Josh Rubin

Today's laptops, tablets and smartphones have enabled workers to be more flexible in defining when, where and how they get their jobs done. While offices are still quite important for many, the way they're set-up is ripe for evolution. An increased emphasis on community and teamwork is also at play—potentially at the cost of privacy and concentration. To consider solutions for this conundrum Herman Miller recently asked students from the Cranbrook Academy of Art to find the proper balance between group interaction and personal space in the modern office.

"Rest and Concentration in the Workplace" is the result of sixteen Cranbrook students considering how to foster calmness and focus for individual workers while balancing group unity with personal space. Working closely with Herman Miller, whose product development teams offered critique, the two-semester collaboration resulted in the selection of six pieces for display at this year's ICFF. The pieces were constructed with the aid of Herman Miller's engineering team and local upholstery and fabrication vendors.

Pieces of note from the collection include the Integrated Workstation, which takes the basic components of a workstation and adds a daybed, and the Private Rocker, which uses high sides to give the chair an intimate, focused feel plus the added benefit of noise cancellation.

Although produced in close collaboration with Herman Miller, the students retain the rights to their own designs. We're hoping these get commercialized sometime soon.