Silver Furniture Design · 2021
Plastic Recurrence Public Bench
by HIR Studio
- A' Design Award 2021 Silver Winner in Furniture Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: HIR Studio
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 24,194
- Verification code 9B28F5AA4C · Verify this award
About Plastic Recurrence Public Bench
Plastic Recurrence is a series of public benches made from recycled household plastic waste. The twelve benches were designed for a district town hall in Hong Kong, using plastic collected from the same district. Each bench is assembled from only two module types, repeated in varied lengths and rotations. The rotated modules form curved shapes that recall ripples on a river. Tactile textures and uneven colour make every bench distinct. The curved form gently separates users and lets children sit in free postures.
Plastic Recurrence Public Bench by HIR Studio exemplifies the contemporary movement toward sustainable material innovation within public furniture design, transforming recycled plastics into a sophisticated seating system that elevates the civic interior experience. The work demonstrates remarkable compositional intelligence through its stepped modular configuration, which creates visual interest and functional versatility while maintaining a unified formal language expressed through the distinctive vertical striping of its upholstered surfaces. Technical achievement is evident in the precision of the channeled textile treatment, which creates rhythmic shadow patterns that animate the furniture's surfaces throughout changing daylight conditions, while the integration of a vivid orange cylindrical element introduces chromatic counterpoint that draws the eye and suggests potential auxiliary function as side table or display surface. The material narrative embedded within the design speaks to broader environmental considerations, as the bench system appears to embrace circular economy principles by reconstituting post-consumer plastic waste into durable, aesthetically refined public amenity. Positioned within an institutional lobby featuring natural travertine wall cladding and polished stone flooring, the bench system demonstrates thoughtful dialogue with its architectural context, the cool grey palette harmonizing with the warm stone surroundings while maintaining sufficient visual distinction to function as sculptural focal point. The incorporation of living plants within the seating configuration suggests biophilic design principles, softening the geometric precision of the furniture while enhancing occupant wellbeing. This work invites contemplation of how design innovation might reconcile ecological responsibility with aesthetic excellence, proposing that sustainability and sophistication need not exist in opposition but may instead reinforce one another in the creation of meaningful public spaces.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Plastic Recurrence is a series of benches designed for a district town hall in Hong Kong, by using recycled household plastic waste from the same district.
The series were made of only two typical modules assembled in varied lengths and rotations. Tactile textures and imperfect colour of recycled plastic render each bench unique.
What's taken from the community is used back in the community. For the first time in Hong Kong, the local experienced the joyous rebirth of plastic waste recycled. - Dimensions & Packaging
- Number of benches in the series: 12
Dimensions: type1- 1500mm, type2- 2000mm, type3- 5000mm
The design is adaptable by assembling different numbers of plastic modules invarious rotations, installed in the factory. - Tags
- Recycled Plastic, Adaptable, Modules, Ripples, Textural, Public Bench
- Production Technology
- In collaboration with some community organisations in the neighbourhood, HIR studio collected household plastics during the weekend events, as the local residents in Hong Kong helped to categorise the waste into the seven types of plastics. About 500 kg of HDPE bottles were collected in two months. They were then cleaned, processed and ground into pellets, prior to transporting to the furniture factory in China. In the furniture factory two steel moulds were used for rotary moulds in the big oven. Five hundred plastic modules were produced and drilled with CNC controls, which were subsequently fixed with steel tie rods into the twelve benches in varied lengths and forms.
- Design Challenge
- With no more furniture factories in Hong Kong, the production of plastic needs to be done in an industrial town in China. China customs only allows plastic waste import in the form of recycled pellets. So plastic waste needs to be first processed and granulated in HK, which pushes up the overall transportation costs. While the public's habit of recycling plastic is not popular due to a lack of facilities and motivation, the recycled plastic pellets are often of low qualities, poorly categorised and structurally unsound, This makes the manufacturing process difficult , as we tried to optimize the proportion of recycled plastic without compromising the benches' structural safety.
- Project Duration
- The project started in February 2019 in Shatin, Hong Kong. Materials were collected in Shatin, processed in another town that is 30km away, and manufactured in a Chinese factory that is 130km away. The project ends in March 2020 in Shatin, Hong Kong.
- Operation Flow
- Profiles, grooves and textures are designed in the mould to render the benches' surface tactile.The curvilinear form shapes like the ripples on a river, and naturallyseparates the users for better privacy. The slanting humps also offer freedom for children to sit on them in unexpected postures.
- Research
- We researched the feasibility to adopt recycled plastic as a building material, for the first time in Hong Kong. The objective is to alleviate the problem of plastic pollution and to reduce the consumption of new materials. About 20,000 household plastic bottles were collected, processed, and transformed into a dozen benches after a year. The manufacturing process is hardly cost-effective, whereas regional customs policy is not intended to raise the quality of recycled pellets. We as designers can help to change this by letting the public appreciate the beauty of recycled products, hence motivating people to recycle better and supervise the industry.
- Inspiration
- The legendary river in town was polluted by plastic waste for years. To raise public awareness, our design shares the fruit of recycling with the community by collecting household plastic waste from them. As more people appreciate the value of upcycled plastic they will be more motivated to pick up the habit of recycling. Every bench is made by assembling numerous moulded modules, each identical, yet rotated to a specific angle to form curvilinear shapes like the ripples on a river.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: HDP Photography, 2020
Image #2: HDP Photography, 2020
Image #3: HDP Photography, 2020
Image #4: HDP Photography, 2020
Image #5: HDP Photography, 2020
Video Credits: Make Some Noise Workshop, HK Wong, 2020 - Patents
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We transform spaces and communities through innovative architectural design and sustainable furniture solutions. Our Hong Kong-based studio specializes in public realm projects that blend artistic vision with environmental responsibility, creating inspiring environments that engage and delight…
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