For Zaandam-based Dutch designer Dirk Vander Kooij (1983), new ways of developing design are as interesting as the new design itself. Kooij continuously challenges known methods of production, sometimes by looking back to older technology. While attending the Design Academy in Eindhoven, when he also interned at Ingo Maurer, Kooij was the first person to succeed in 3D printing a large object—a series of chairs using the concept he calls “endless prototyping,” achieved during his graduation assignment. The “endless” process involves using a low resolution machine to build the design layer by layer. Once a prototype is finished, Kooij endlessly reprograms it to perfect the process. Kooij is particular about his choice of material, predominantly reusing plastics or, in the case of the “All Material Table,” using it raw.
