UnLimited Plecak by Kuan-Hua Chou is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Brązowa Nagroda A' Design Award in Zrównoważony Produkt Competition Category.

BrązowaZrównoważony Produkt· 2020

UnLimited Plecak

by Kuan-Hua Chou

Client: Kuan-hua Chou

Brązowa Nagroda A' Design Award Winner in Zrównoważony Produkt Category

19,026

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #95138

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About UnLimited Plecak

UnLimited to podlegający recyklingowi plecak zaprojektowany z myślą o rowerzystach miejskich. Plecak jest całkowicie wodoodporny i regulowany pod względem rozmiaru. Harmonijkowa konstrukcja pozwala plecakowi rozszerzać się, aby pomieścić nieoczekiwane przedmioty, oraz kompresować się do smukłego kształtu, co poprawia mobilność. UnLimited wykonany jest z jednego materiału – nadającego się do recyklingu elastomeru termoplastycznego o różnym stopniu twardości – i jest zgrzewany termicznie. Większość plecaków łączy kilka materiałów, co utrudnia ich recykling. Konstrukcja z jednego materiału ułatwia ponowne wykorzystanie i recykling po zakończeniu okresu eksploatacji.

The Recognition

About the Brązowa Nagroda A' Design Award

UnLimited Plecak to laureat Brązowej Nagrody A' Design Award, wysoce prestiżowego wyróżnienia przyznawanego znakomitym projektom wyróżniającym się kreatywnością, pomysłowością i przenikliwością. Laureaci Brązowej Nagrody to w pełni utalentowane i uderzająco twórcze artefakty, które poświadczają ogromne doświadczenie, wyobraźnię i zaradność ich twórców. UnLimited Plecak ma być wysoko cenionym, podziwianym i drogim sercu przedmiotem, który jest wyjątkowo profesjonalny i innowacyjny. Ten projekt nagrodzony Brązową Nagrodą A' Design Award łączy najlepsze praktyki w sztuce, nauce, designie i technologii oraz jest doskonały dzięki dbałości o szczegóły. UnLimited Plecak znakomicie zaspokaja potrzeby, porusza pragnienia, czaruje uczucia i przemawia do ciekawości.

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