Metaform: Re-tire Chair
Metaform Studio specializes in reusing industrial waste (pallets, tires, etc.) in furniture. I'm quite fond of their "Re-tire" chair, which uses tire strips as a seating surface. I'm not sure what material they are using for the structure, but it looks like plywood.
The bad news is that it costs $1200. It's a laudable concept, and I know this is just a little shop, and there's probably a lot of work in processing the tires, etc., but there aren't going to be a lot of takers at that price. I think the design industry needs to be doing more things like this, but it's not going to make much of a difference until the pricing hits a normal level.
Here's a thought: imagine how easy it would be to source recycled tire strips (or any recycled industrial material for that matter) in China.
posted by Scott Bennett on 1/29/2006
2 Comments:
this idea of reusing wasted material needs to be applied more frequently in modern furniture design. as a furniture maker, i see a lot of wood used and wasted in an effort to make a masterpiece. by now, we all know that wood is not a sustainable resource. as a furniture maker, i also know that sustainable materials are so far out of my price range that i cannot even consider them as an option right now. hopefully collectors and buyers will realize the need to support such efforts so that eventually they may become available for the majority.
Thanks for the comment. I wouldn't agree with a blanket statement that wood isn't a sustainable material. Things like FSC certification, while mot perfect, are big step toward ensuring that wood can be harvested in a way that doesn't harm its future availability. And of course, as long as you grow a tree to replace the one you cut down, the process is carbon neutral (apart from what you use to cut and transport the wood).
Reusing waste materials is great, but it can never completely satisfy the enormous demand that exists for stuff- there just isn't enough salvage to go around.
And like you said, cost is a huge impediment. Most "green" materials are priced at a level that makes them unusable for mass market applications, and as long as that's the case, they won't make a huge difference.
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