In the frame of the Franco-German project “Jute & Composite, Tradition & Innovation”, three French experts -- Antoine Gripay (Design Manager and CEO Studio Katra, France), Quentin Mateus and Mr Clément Renaud (Jute Lab, Gold of Bengal),came to Dhaka to conduct a furniture design workshop and shared their experiences with the eight winners of the design competition held in last July. The aim of the workshop is to design furniture using jute fibre composite material using resin transfer moulding process.

The project started in the month of July asking students of Architecture, Fine Arts, young artists and architects (below 35 age) to submit a design proposal for a piece of furniture. After the evaluation, eight best entries were selected and winners were invited for a weeklong training under the guidance by the French professional designer and technicians in Dhaka. 

Two teams were formed to work on two different projects, from design development to prototype production. A prototype of the two projects developed during the workshop, will be produced by the partner of the project Jute Lab, made of composite mixing resin and jute fibre.

The project has been developed by Alliance Française de Dhaka and Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, in collaboration with Jute Lab (Gold of Bengal). OTOBI is partnering and may produce the artefacts in small series. A press conference was held at the auditorium of AFD on November 4.

The two final prototypes will be displayed during the opening of Franco-German Embassies in Dhaka.