Domus, in collaboration with FabLab Torino, invites designers, architects, students and professionals to participate in an open-source design challenge: conceive a line of furniture to be used in FabLabs all around the world that can be manufactured in the FabLabs themselves. A selection of the best designs, chosen by a panel of experts, will be realised and exhibited by Domus at the Milan Salone del Mobile in April 2012, published in Domus and made available for download on domusweb.it.

FabLabs are a global network of small-scale workshops offering cutting-edge digital fabrication technologies to communities all around the world. Autoprogettazione 2.0 intends to explore how these fabrication technologies, combined with the networked creative talent of the design community, can open up new horizons in furniture design and manufacturing.

The title is a homage to Autoprogettazione, which roughly translates as “self-design”, a visionary concept proposed by Milanese designer Enzo Mari in 1974. Mari’s now-legendary project consisted of a set of guidelines to create “cheap, high quality, long lasting and easy-to-assemble” furniture using only rough boards and nails. Mari’s project was at the same time a serious design proposition and a provocative invitation to consider the production process with a critical eye.

Autoprogettazione 2.0 is an invitation to consider the potential of a diffused, localized manufacturing network combined with the self-build ethos proposed by Mari for the future of furniture design. It is an open-ended process that seeks to leverage the combined intelligence and talent of the design community and collaborative, open-source networks. Selected projects will be exhibited by Domus in an exhibition exploring the future of manufacturing hosted in Palazzo Clerici, one of Milan’s most prestigious palazzi.

The submission deadline is 27 March 2012. Full information on the challenge, manufacturing specifications and submission process can be found below. “Although we are taking FabLab Torino as a reference environment, we believe that the designs generated in this call for ideas will be widely used, adapted and shared across the world for use in many different environments, including domestic and office spaces.”