UPPLÖSA
fluid furniture
The first furniture that dissolves in water.
3D printed from water-soluble filament, it lets its owners decide when it is composted: fill it with water and within hours it is gone.
A speculative material concept for IKEA.
Intro
The production, use and delivery of many products often goes hand in hand with environmental pollution. Plastic production is increasing, waste mountains are growing and the longevity of products is decreasing.
The term „biodesign“ is becoming all the more important. In addition to innovative low-emission production processes, the optimization of recycling systems and the simple avoidance of plastic waste, compostable plastics and natural materials are gaining in importance.
The goal became to design an innovative compostable everyday product and to look deeply into ecological materials to show that product design does not have to exist at the expense of the environment.
My idea
to construct a chair where the timing of composting can be determined by its owners.
Helios Support
water soluble / 3d-printable PVA Material
• Good solubility
• Excellent thermal stability
• Biodegradable once dissolved in water
• Safe dissolution in tap water
• Can be disposed of in the kitchen sink, or household drain with an excess of water
Material Test
The material test confirms what was already suspected. A small drop of water does not yet cause the material to decompose. However, as soon as it is in constant contact with water, the decomposition process can be followed. If you pull the part out after a few minutes, it feels slippery and is more elastic.
After about 3 hours, there is not much left of the 3d printed plate. Initially, I was afraid that the process cannot be controlled. However, the gyroid structure provides an ideal distribution of the water masses, which leads to an even and relatively fast composting.
One principle, endless furniture.
Fluid Furniture began as a single compostable chair and grew into a system: furniture that disappears when its owner decides its life is over.
The principle
Every piece is built from 3D-printed, water-soluble PVA parts. They’re stable in everyday use, and a spilled drink does nothing. Only constant contact with water, for example in a bathtub, dissolves them within a few hours.
Endless forms
The principle doesn’t depend on a shape. Chairs, stools, tables, lamps can all look completely different and still work the same way.
Print only what needs to disappear
Printed parts can be combined with wood, for example as legs or joints. When they dissolve, the wood stays and can be reused.
A concept for IKEA
A speculative sustainability concept for IKEA: furniture for a phase of life, like the first flat or the student room, designed to be let go of.
Once the owners decide they no longer need the chair, it is filled with water. The gyroid infill structure ensures harmonious water distribution. As soon as the water hits the water-soluble filament, the chair starts to decompose. The whole process takes several hours but can be done in a bathtub or shower. The remains are released into the cast and the stool is composted.
