Optimera
My project has been an exploration of paper pulp as a material and its potential use in the manufacture of furniture. I wanted to use an environmentally friendly, recyclable efficient and available material and see how I can cast it in different molds. What will the result be like, what opportunities and limitations exist in both material and method?
I started from corrugated cardboard which I shredded and mixed with hot water and rice starch in a mixer. Then the mass has been molded under strong pressure. I wanted to take advantage of casting as a method by making more complex shapes so that it´s apparent that the result is cast. The result needed to be strong too to withstand load and material consumption kept low. The shape needed to be simple and quick to cast so that production could be streamlined.
Efficiency is a word that has been used throughout the process. In the beginning, I used topology optimization calculations to see which parts are most important to keep in terms of strength. Then I went on to work more intuitively and based on geometric and strong shapes to arrive at something more three-dimensional that better used casting as a method.
Efficient, sustainable, durable and circular are the keywords I let pilot the project. In addition to the words, I have allowed material and method to control the design.
My final shape is easy to cast, can be de-molded already after one night and can then be quickly dried in eg. oven. The material consumption is low and the strength is high.
The shape is easy to combine with more of itself to form a larger whole such as a bench or room divider
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