UnLimited Ransel by Kuan-Hua Chou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award Perunggu in Desain Produk Berkelanjutan, Proyek dan Desain Hijau Competition Category.

PerungguProduk Berkelanjutan· 2020

UnLimited Ransel

by Kuan-Hua Chou

Client: Kuan-hua Chou

A' Design Award Perunggu Winner in Produk Berkelanjutan Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About UnLimited Ransel

UnLimited adalah ransel yang dapat didaur ulang, dirancang untuk pesepeda perkotaan. Ransel ini sepenuhnya tahan air dan dapat disesuaikan ukurannya. Struktur lipatan akordeon memungkinkan tas mengembang untuk menampung barang tak terduga dan mengempis menjadi bentuk ramping yang meningkatkan kelincahan bergerak. UnLimited dibuat dari satu material, yaitu elastomer termoplastik yang dapat didaur ulang dengan berbagai tingkat kekerasan, dan disegel melalui pengelasan panas. Sebagian besar ransel menggabungkan beberapa material sehingga sulit didaur ulang. Konstruksi material tunggal ini mendukung penggunaan kembali dan daur ulang pada akhir masa pakainya.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Perunggu

UnLimited Ransel adalah pemenang A' Design Award Perunggu, pengakuan yang sangat bergengsi yang diberikan kepada desain luar biasa yang dicirikan oleh kreativitas, kecerdikan, dan ketajaman. Pemenang Perunggu adalah artefak yang sangat terampil dan sangat kreatif yang membuktikan pengalaman luas, imajinasi, dan kelihaian para desainernya. UnLimited Ransel diharapkan menjadi objek yang sangat dihargai, dikagumi, dan dicintai, sangat profesional dan inovatif. Desain pemenang A' Design Award Perunggu ini menyertakan praktik terbaik dalam seni, sains, desain, dan teknologi, dan sangat baik dalam perhatiannya pada detail. UnLimited Ransel memuaskan kebutuhan dengan indah, menyentuh keinginan, memikat perasaan, dan menarik rasa ingin tahu.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: UnLimited is a recyclable, fully waterproof and size adjustable backpack tailored to the needs of an urban slow cyclist. This project aims to demonstrate the unlimited and limited requirements of space and material through a daily backpack. It can both expand to accommodate unexpected items and compress to keep the backpack streamlined to allow for better mobility.
Dimensions & Packaging: 290 mm x 410 mm x (20~150) mm, 860 g
Tags: backpack, material, exploration, sustainable, plastics, responsible consumption and production, slow cycling, commuting, unlimited, limited
Production Technology: The concept and production focus on concertina structure, material features and plastic production methods. Following the design philosophy for 'design of reduction', the backpack is sealed by heat welding and made of mono-material DuPont Hytrel, or similar recyclable thermoplastic elastomers with different levels of hardness. This feature is in stark contrast to the backpacks on the market today, which are multi-material and hard to recycle.
Design Challenge: How to bring DuPont Hytrel from industrial usages to daily life market is the first challenge of this project. Another barrier is to search suitable hardness and thickness for the concertina structure, which should provide an instantly positive user experience.
Research: The design research was conducted through material exploration firstly and discovering the target audience and market through survey, road observation and 1:1 interview.
Inspiration: Plastics that improve with age. The project is to design a product, with recyclable plastic, that is sustainable and creates a genuine bond with the user. An object that improves with age and counters some of the negative attributes often attributed to plastics such as cheap, transient and unemotional. Considering the longevity of a solution but also its place in a circular economy. What is its service life, how can it be reused, recycled or repurposed if it comes to the end of its useful life?
Project Duration: The material research started from visiting DuPont Geneva Innovation Center in October 2016. The concept development was implemented during the springs of 2017 and 2018 in London, following a release in the 2018 degree show at the Royal College of Art. The latest prototype was made in November 2019 in Tainan.
Operation Flow: Enough? Enough! UnLimited provides cyclists space depends on their needs. However, for the limitation of a bike, cyclists should not be a greedy user. They have to ensure the load they carry can keep their journey comfortable, not an obstacle. The project reflects balance and interaction between cyclists and their freedom of bringing as much as they can or as less as they can.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Kuan-hua Chou, 2018.
Image Credits: Photographer: Kuan-hua Chou

VIDEO CREDITS:
Filmmaker: Hiroki Yokoyama
Composer: Eternity Bro
Starring: Victoria Lynn-Hamilton, Anthony Fanna, Beatrice Maione