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Academy | 2023 Spring | Kamiloglu, Von Zabern, Martinez
Typology Furniture Design, Upcyling
Location IfA Foyer, Berlin, Germany
Institution IfA
Material
Wood as a resource for furniture is vastly available throughout the city of Berlin. Leftover pieces of wood from workshops or construction sites are being discarded and considered trash.
We think of this wood as a high-quality building material, which comes in different colors, textures, and dimensions. In addition, wood can be easily processed without the need for highly specialized tools, allowing anyone to work with the material.
Design
Seating areas in the in-between spaces of the IfA building are rare. As a result, students are appropriating existing structures, especially the heating system in the foyer around the kiosk and towards the backyard. Unfortunately the linear arrangement of the elements limits sitting in groups or face-to-face. The design of a long bench, we want to extend these appropriate spaces and make them more flexible. The shape of the bench is inspired by the unique shape of the stacked ribs of the heating system. The design consists of different pieces of scrap wood which are clamped together with 2 threaded rods between four legs out of wood boards. With this simple clamp design, the bench is highly flexible and can be extended or shortened. By avoiding glued connections we want to promote thoughtfulness about reclaiming material and re-usability. Another important aspect of the design is the reproducibility. We would like to encourage anyone to make use of old wood instead of throwing it away and create their uniquely designed furniture while reducing trash.
Wood as a resource for furniture is vastly available throughout the city of Berlin. Leftover pieces of wood from workshops or construction sites are being discarded and considered trash.
We think of this wood as a high-quality building material, which comes in different colors, textures, and dimensions. In addition, wood can be easily processed without the need for highly specialized tools, allowing anyone to work with the material.
Design
Seating areas in the in-between spaces of the IfA building are rare. As a result, students are appropriating existing structures, especially the heating system in the foyer around the kiosk and towards the backyard. Unfortunately the linear arrangement of the elements limits sitting in groups or face-to-face. The design of a long bench, we want to extend these appropriate spaces and make them more flexible. The shape of the bench is inspired by the unique shape of the stacked ribs of the heating system. The design consists of different pieces of scrap wood which are clamped together with 2 threaded rods between four legs out of wood boards. With this simple clamp design, the bench is highly flexible and can be extended or shortened. By avoiding glued connections we want to promote thoughtfulness about reclaiming material and re-usability. Another important aspect of the design is the reproducibility. We would like to encourage anyone to make use of old wood instead of throwing it away and create their uniquely designed furniture while reducing trash.
Process
The bench is produced in 5 easy steps:
1. The scrap wood is cut to a length of 370 millimeters. The height of the pieces can vary
and adds to the unique look of the bench. Additionally, sanding one of the longer sides creates
a smother finish of the seating surface.
2. Cutting the legs out of a sheet of wood with the dimensions of 370 x 450 millimeters and a minimum thickness of 16 millimeters to ensure stability.
3. Drilling two holes into each piece of wood 3 centimeters from one of the long sides and 6 centimeters from the short sides. For better accuracy a template can be produced by a leftover L-shaped board clamped underneath a drill press.
4. The cut, drilled and sanded scrap-wood pieces are guided onto 2 threaded rods. The legs are placed evenly throughout the bench and at each end.
5. Finally everything is clamped together with nuts on each end of the threaded rods.
The bench is produced in 5 easy steps:
1. The scrap wood is cut to a length of 370 millimeters. The height of the pieces can vary
and adds to the unique look of the bench. Additionally, sanding one of the longer sides creates
a smother finish of the seating surface.
2. Cutting the legs out of a sheet of wood with the dimensions of 370 x 450 millimeters and a minimum thickness of 16 millimeters to ensure stability.
3. Drilling two holes into each piece of wood 3 centimeters from one of the long sides and 6 centimeters from the short sides. For better accuracy a template can be produced by a leftover L-shaped board clamped underneath a drill press.
4. The cut, drilled and sanded scrap-wood pieces are guided onto 2 threaded rods. The legs are placed evenly throughout the bench and at each end.
5. Finally everything is clamped together with nuts on each end of the threaded rods.
The final product can now be arranged by the students around the foyer. Additionally, a smaller stool build out of the leftover pieces adds to the flexibility of the seating area. The seating surface shows the uniqueness and mix of the scrap wood found in the city, highlighting the different grains, composition and texture of the material.
