The creation of 12 hardwood chairs T WOOD LIFE CYCLE MA KING When Sebastian Wrong told me project was born. that he was discussing the idea of a In the Design Products course student project with the American at e Royal College of Art, Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), we encourage the students to it immediately seemed a great experiment, to think about cultural opportunity to explore designing context in design, to explore with wood again. materials and be inventive. is is Wood has a long tradition in a risky approach to design; there furniture making. However, in are no predictable outcomes of the 20th Century, when industrial these processes. mass production reigned, wood e proposals that were was largely replaced in furniture presented in response to the production by plastic, metal and brief were very varied and were composites. Industrial usage often personal expressions by the preferred sheet materials such as individual designers about wood plywood, chipboard or MDF to and its relevance to furniture the tricky solid woods. Today, as today. As with most other industrial production is changing materials, the designer is no longer and becoming more diverse, the expert. For this expertise, environmentally and socially we were fortunate to collaborate conscious, computer controlled with the woodworking company and often smaller scaled, new Benchmark on this project. possibilities are emerging. Helped by their super-skilled and e project explores the knowledgeable team, the designers potential for solid hardwood were able to realise their ideas again as a serious material for in a hands-on manner. As good furniture. AHEC enabled us to crafts teach us, ideas change and access the environmental impact adapt once we start touching the that this material has, including materials and tools. Benchmark its processing in the workshop provided a unique environment as an integral part of its design in which the designers could possibilities. From this notion, the immerse themselves in the physical qualities of the material and the processes of making. ere are some wonderfully Ideas change inventive and creative uses of wood “ in these pieces of furniture and they also have that special quality which will give them longevity: a and adapt” great design. Professor Tord Boontje Design Products, Royal College of Art WELCOME/OUT OF THE WOODS 3 When Sebastian Wrong told me project was born. that he was discussing the idea of a In the Design Products course student project with the American at e Royal College of Art, Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), we encourage the students to it immediately seemed a great experiment, to think about cultural opportunity to explore designing context in design, to explore with wood again. materials and be inventive. is is Wood has a long tradition in a risky approach to design; there furniture making. However, in are no predictable outcomes of the 20th Century, when industrial these processes. mass production reigned, wood e proposals that were was largely replaced in furniture presented in response to the production by plastic, metal and brief were very varied and were composites. Industrial usage often personal expressions by the preferred sheet materials such as individual designers about wood plywood, chipboard or MDF to and its relevance to furniture the tricky solid woods. Today, as today. As with most other industrial production is changing materials, the designer is no longer and becoming more diverse, the expert. For this expertise, environmentally and socially we were fortunate to collaborate conscious, computer controlled with the woodworking company and often smaller scaled, new Benchmark on this project. possibilities are emerging. Helped by their super-skilled and e project explores the knowledgeable team, the designers potential for solid hardwood were able to realise their ideas again as a serious material for in a hands-on manner. As good furniture. AHEC enabled us to crafts teach us, ideas change and access the environmental impact adapt once we start touching the that this material has, including materials and tools. Benchmark its processing in the workshop provided a unique environment as an integral part of its design in which the designers could possibilities. From this notion, the immerse themselves in the physical qualities of the material and the processes of making. ere are some wonderfully Ideas change inventive and creative uses of wood “ in these pieces of furniture and they also have that special quality which will give them longevity: a and adapt” great design. Professor Tord Boontje Design Products, Royal College of Art WELCOME/OUT OF THE WOODS 3 P6 P8 Contents INTRODUCTION RENEWABLE RESOURCE INTRODUCTION 06 THE RENEWABLE RESOURCE 08 P10 P12P14 P16 P20 LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS BEEEENCH DESIGNED LEGACY LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS 10 THE DESIGNS 14 BEEEENCH 16 DESIGNED LEGAC Y 20 FLOATING CHAIR 24 P24 P28 P32 P36 FOLDING CHAIR 28 FLOATING CHAIR FOLDING CHAIR LEFTOVERS CHAIR NUM. 4 Produced by UBM Client Solutions LEFTOVERS CHAIR 32 for e American Hardwood Export Council NU M. 4 36 Author: Ruth Slavid PHYLLIDA 40 Sub-editors: Belinda Cobden- Ramsay, Catriona Maclean SNELSON 44 Art director: Nick Watts Designers: Nicola Kerr, Stephen SOLITUDE 48 P40 P44 P48 P52 Savage, Spike McCormack, PHYLLIDA SNELSON SOLITUDE SQUEEZE Colette Fahy SQUEEZE 52 Project manager: Emma Humphrys TREE FURNITURE 56 Business development manager: Oliver Hughes WELL PRO VEN 60 [email protected] THE PROCESS 64 Photography: Petr Krejci, Mark O'Flaherty MAKING 66 P56 P60 P66 P70 AMERICAN HARDWOODS 70 TREE FURNITURE WELL PROVEN MAKING AMERICAN HARDWOODS Produced by ANALYSIS OF LIFE CYCLE IMPACTS 72 PARTICIPANTS 78 +44 (0) 20 7560 4291 www.clientsolutions.co.uk P72 P78 ANALYSIS OF LIFE PARTICIPANTS CYCLE IMPACTS CONTENTS/OUT OF THE WOODS 5 P6 P8 Contents INTRODUCTION RENEWABLE RESOURCE INTRODUCTION 06 THE RENEWABLE RESOURCE 08 P10 P12P14 P16 P20 LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS BEEEENCH DESIGNED LEGACY LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS 10 THE DESIGNS 14 BEEEENCH 16 DESIGNED LEGAC Y 20 FLOATING CHAIR 24 P24 P28 P32 P36 FOLDING CHAIR 28 FLOATING CHAIR FOLDING CHAIR LEFTOVERS CHAIR NUM. 4 Produced by UBM Client Solutions LEFTOVERS CHAIR 32 for e American Hardwood Export Council NU M. 4 36 Author: Ruth Slavid PHYLLIDA 40 Sub-editors: Belinda Cobden- Ramsay, Catriona Maclean SNELSON 44 Art director: Nick Watts Designers: Nicola Kerr, Stephen SOLITUDE 48 P40 P44 P48 P52 Savage, Spike McCormack, PHYLLIDA SNELSON SOLITUDE SQUEEZE Colette Fahy SQUEEZE 52 Project manager: Emma Humphrys TREE FURNITURE 56 Business development manager: Oliver Hughes WELL PRO VEN 60 [email protected] THE PROCESS 64 Photography: Petr Krejci, Mark O'Flaherty MAKING 66 P56 P60 P66 P70 AMERICAN HARDWOODS 70 TREE FURNITURE WELL PROVEN MAKING AMERICAN HARDWOODS Produced by ANALYSIS OF LIFE CYCLE IMPACTS 72 PARTICIPANTS 78 +44 (0) 20 7560 4291 www.clientsolutions.co.uk P72 P78 ANALYSIS OF LIFE PARTICIPANTS CYCLE IMPACTS CONTENTS/OUT OF THE WOODS 5 Learng through makg RCA students designed seating and spent a week making it e Brief To design a seat for function. This could be a“ chair, stool or bench or anything else that can be sat upon. Materials to be used are American hardwoods and veneers.” dozen students During this time they carefully programme at the RCA. ‘I can see the environmental of the objects that the production of your design a professional environment. ‘e very contemporary material.’ 1 34 (or pairs of documented the materials and tools very clearly that the real application they were making. demands, from the felling of the platform presented to the students, Harry Richardson, who teaches students) at the that they used, so that they could of environmental sustainability will But this analysis was always tree to the product’s end of life particularly the work of making, the course with Wrong and is co- 5 2 Royal College of come up with a detailed life cycle rise to the surface,’ said Venables. intended as an adjunct to rather scenario. erefore, consider issues is something that has never been founder of product design studio 6 Art have designed analysis (LCA) of their designs. ‘I wanted to use the opportunity than the sole driver of their relating to robustness, efficiencies experienced before,’ he said. ‘ey Committee, said, ‘It seems that chairs that both e finished chairs all went on to challenge the students a degree creativity. is was spelt out in the both material and production, and are balancing design ideas with the reality AHEC is dealing with 1 Nic Wallenberg in the workshop. rethink the notion of sitting and exhibition at London’s Victoria further, to get them to explore what brief given to the students, which of course aesthetic. It is one thing schedule and timing. ey have through the use of LCA is one that 2 Petter Thörne with his finished A beeeench teach important lessons about & Albert Museum from 14 to 23 is coming and where we are going.’ was as follows: to design a chair/seat that will very little experience of engaging we must all come to understand 3 Anton Alvarez working out of doors sustainability. All of the students September, as part of the London Work that the American Hardwood ‘To design a seat for function. is physically survive the wear and with materials.’ more and more if the market is 4 Lunch al fresco were following a course on Design Festival. Export Council has carried out could be a chair, stool or bench or tear of a long life, it is quite another e potential of wood as a natural to find a sustainable future, and 5 Assembling the Phyllida bench product design, some of them had e project was the brainchild of on life cycle analysis (described in anything else that can be sat upon.