CASA CORK AT MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2025 BY ROCKWELL GROUP

Images courtesy of Rockwell Group

A Living Laboratory Of Sustainable Design
First publication on May 20, 2025

At Milan Design Week 2025, Rockwell Group unveiled Casa Cork, an immersive experience developed in partnership with Corticeira Amorim, the largest cork processor in the world, and the sustainability-focused non-profit Cork Collective. Visitors can experience the 100% renewable material in a whole new way thanks to the event’s experiential installation, events program, and student competition. Without actually chopping down the tree, cork is made from the harvested bark of the cork oak. Products made of cork can be recycled over and over again and still retain their capacity to absorb carbon.

Janto Wihardja (S&C) with David Rockwell

A lifelike, six-meter-tall replica of a massive tree, covered in virgin cork recovered from trees that have fallen because of disease or lightning strikes, serves as Casa Cork’s dramatic focal point. The main gallery of Casa Cork features a 3D-printed image of a majestic tree from a cork forest that was scanned by Spain’s multidisciplinary art workshop, Factum Arte, on behalf of the Rockwell Group. Nearly all of Casa Cork’s furnishings and interior design are made of cork, including cutting-edge cork furniture and items from well-known and up-and-coming international designers and manufacturers.

Presented by Magran Living

Casa Cork, potential as a key, sustainable material of the future excited David Rockwell, the founder and president of Rockwell Group. In their practices and projects, he hopes that Casa Cork and the demonstrations and events there will encourage designers and architects to try cork and discover methods to recycle and reuse materials.

With free wines and Prosecco from Château Miraval Côtes de Provence, sustainable winery Terre Margaritelli, and Consorzio Tutela Prosecco DOC, Casa Cork double as an event venue and wine bar during the week. The Italian coffee company illycaffé, Dorsia, the restaurant Le Specialità, and the culinary experimentation project Bar Versini are additional food and beverage partners.

Casa Cork is a call to action as much as an exhibition. David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group have established a living laboratory that challenges the international design community to reconsider materiality and responsibility by fusing innovative design, cutting-edge technology, and a strong commitment to sustainability. Casa Cork honors the beauty and adaptability of this extraordinary resource as cork takes center stage in Milan and challenges us all to imagine a regenerative future in which design not only adorns the world but also contributes to its preservation and transformation.