Carbon Activated Timber Bench 长凳 by Michael Budig and Kenneth Tracy is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award 铜奖 in 可持续产品、项目与绿色设计 Competition Category.
铜可持续产品· 2020
Carbon Activated Timber Bench 长凳
by Michael Budig and Kenneth Tracy
Client: Singapore University of Technology and Design
A' Design Award 铜奖 Winner in 可持续产品 Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #89216The Design
About Carbon Activated Timber Bench 长凳
碳纤维强化木质长凳专为公共空间设计，采用回收木板制作，挑战人们对重量与稳定性的固有认知。木板堆叠的体量看似是厚重敦实的块体，实则彼此之间仅为松散连接，处于不稳定的状态。纤细的碳纤维丝线将这些厚重的块体牵系在一起，赋予其稳定性；同时，碳纤维还对块体起到加固作用，进一步提升了木板的强度。
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award 铜奖
Carbon Activated Timber Bench 长凳是 A' Design Award 铜奖得主，这是授予以创造力、独创性和敏锐见长的杰出设计的极具声望的认可。铜奖得主是技艺娴熟、创意惊人的作品，印证了其设计师丰富的经验、想象力与机智。预计Carbon Activated Timber Bench 长凳将成为一件备受推崇、令人钦佩且被珍爱的物品，兼具显著的专业性与创新性。这件赢得 A' Design Award 铜奖的设计融入艺术、科学、设计和技术领域的最佳实践，并因注重细节而出类拔萃。Carbon Activated Timber Bench 长凳出色地满足需求，触动渴望，迷住情感，并吸引好奇心。
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The bench uses reclaimed wood planks that through their re-application continue to store carbon, since the living trees absorb CO2 from the environment. The re-use of the wood hence contributes to a positive ecological balance. Carbon is re-combined with the wood in a different state, as minimal amounts of high tech fibres that are strategically placed to enhance the capacity of the wood planks.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Dimensions: 3000 x 830 x 400 mm
Volume: 0.1736 m3
Mass: 128 kg of reclaimed hardwood from outdoor deckings
Carbon fibers, total mass: 0.623 kg (around 800m of 12k carbon fibre tow) - Tags
- Reclaimed wood, carbon fibres, robotic milling, traditional crafts
- Production Technology
- The bench reflects craftsmanship in a contemporary context, where computational design and fabrication have become state of the art. After stacking reclaimed wood planks into solid blocks, an industrial robotic arm mills the blocks into their final geometries with paths for the subsequent reiforcement with fibres. The reclaimed wood planks store carbon and contribute to a positive ecological balance, whereas carbon is re-combined as minimal amounts of high tech fibres, strategically placed to enhance the capacity of the wood planks.
- Design Challenge
- Reclaimed wood simultaneously diverts waste and reduces the energy by forgoing the effort needed to obtain virgin materials. The finishing and fabrication contribute to making a durable, robust piece of furniture sequestering carbon for longer and reducing the need for replacements. Finally augmenting the performance of wood beyond its inherent structural capacity increases the potential range of use so it can be used differently for both industrial design and architecture.
- Research
- The bench design highlights the expertise present in large-scale furniture carpentry in a combination of experienced labor with new forms of craft, digital calibration and robotic fabrication. By augmenting the reclaimed wood with carbon fibers, the project proves that small amounts of high-performance materials can be used alongside carbon-negative wood elements. This new design direction increases productivity and sustainability through the use of new design and manufacturing technologies.
- Inspiration
- Juxtaposing old, weathered hardwood with precise smooth carving and high-tech carbon fiber gives the piece a unique character. This novel expression fuses high tech carving, patina, natural wood grain, digitally designed weaving patterns and precise manufacturing. This points towards an optimized, calibrated future of sustainable design and recalls vernacular traditions of textile and wood construction. Lashing, wood joinery and timber frames act as both cultural and technological precedents.
- Project Duration
- Conversations started in late December 2016, and the design was completed in November 2018 and installed on the grounds of Mapletree Business City 2, Singapore
- Operation Flow
- Initiated by the opportunity to reuse wood decking boards the project leverages high performance materials and new techniques to renew the old materials and create a sustaining piece of furniture. An elongated pattern of tightly wound carbon fiber strands rest within robotically carved groves to hold the massive stack of blocks together. Precise, continuous curvature combined with tapered edges form a comfortable low-profile object that looks lightweight despite being 140kg
- Team Members
- Principal Designer: Michael Budig
Principal Designer: Kenneth Tracy
Sachin Gupta
Kerine Kua
Dhileep Kumar
Lee Le Xiu Jean
Melissa Lee Wen Hui
Seah Jia Neng
Daniel Yong Kaijie
Robotic Fabricator: Singapore Composite Cluster
Wood Fabricator: Hon Nam Lee - Image Credits
- Michael Budig and Kenneth Tracy, Singapore University of Technology and Design
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