Tag Archives: sustainable

Colorful flat-packed chairs aim to achieve full sustainability – from material choices to supply chain

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We often underestimate the importance of a great chair. When in reality we really shouldn’t. We spend the majority of our day sitting on chairs, whether we’re working in our home office, enjoying a meal, or simply sitting and reading a book for leisure! Hence, this piece of furniture needs to be not only comfortable but ergonomic, and aesthetic as well. And a super sustainable chair design that recently impressed me is the OTO chair by Alessandro Stabile and Martinelli Venezia.

Designer: Alessandro Stabile and Martinelli Venezia for One to One

Designed by Alessandro Stabile and Martinelli Venezia for the Italian furniture brand One to One, the OTO chair is intended to be a “manifesto for circular design”. One to One is a brand that heavily focuses on sustainability, and the OTO chair is a recycled plastic chair that aims to achieve a goal of full sustainability, in both material choices, and the supply chain as a whole.

“From the beginning, we realized that using recycled materials was not enough. We had to think about something that would systematize the entire sustainable supply chain, from production to logistics, distribution, and assembly, to stimulate the public with a product capable of activating a new awareness,” said Stabile and Venezia. As a result of this, the OTO chair is built using a single mold, sold online, and delivered in a flat-packed form.

The OTO chair has a clean, minimal, and simple form, and is available in a variety of fun colors – onyx, fog, mustard, eucalyptus, coral, and forest. You can pick a color that best matches your personality and interior decor style! While creating and making OTO, One to One partnered up with Ogyre which runs the Fishing for Litter Platform. This platform allows fishermen to contribute to collecting marine waste for reuse. The production of each OTO chair removes almost 500 grams of plastic from the sea, according to the brand. It truly has sustainability incorporated in its core, and approaches sustainability as a whole, trying to integrate it into every step of the process – whether it’s designing, manufacturing, or even selling.

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Air Light is a sustainable + recyclable lighting fixture designed to add an element of elegance to your home

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I love a beautifully-designed lighting fixture because I truly believe a really great one has the ability to illuminate a space – both literally, and metaphorically. Besides the physical light that it quite obviously emits, a well-designed lighting fixture can add manifolds of personality and charisma to a room. They can function as sculptural pieces, that are an extension of your personal taste and preference, truly exhibiting the richness and niche-ness of your curation capabilities. And if they manage to be sustainable as well, then they’re a design curated in heaven. And a lighting design that meets all of these criteria is the Air Light.

Designer: Contardi Lighting x Adam Tihany

Italian brand Contardi Lighting partnered up with designer Adam Tihany to answer a simple yet rather complex question, ” What is green lighting?” The answer to their question was their creation Air – a newly designed suspension lamp that is 100% recyclable, functional, and also extremely decorative. The Air light is a physical manifestation of the exploration of ecological and design values. It features a dual lampshade design, that has the ability to produce a warm and inviting ambience which creates an amusing play between light and shadow, using its engraved laser cuts.

Throughout the entire process, from designing to production, considerable efforts were made to reduce Air’s impact on the environment. The light is made from Green Cast – an acrylic material that can be 100% recycled and recycles industrial waste and end-of-life products. Irrespective of how many cycles for which Green Cast has been utilized, it manages to retain and maintain its mechanical and thermal qualities, as well as aesthetics. Contardi lighting also applies the cream-colored finish of the lamp while it is being produced, in turn eliminating the lacquering phase, and reducing the lamp’s adversarial impact on the environment.

The Air light has an almost sculptural and ethereal feel to it. As you look closer at it, you feel that the lamp is floating both upwards and downwards, creating an intriguing visual illusion. The upper and lower LED lights emit a full glow, creating a warm, cozy, and peaceful aura in any room it is placed in.

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Sustainable home in a German village employs a late 19th-century construction practice that uses straw bales

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Located in the district of Pfaffenhofen, Germany is a small house called Haus Hoinka. Designed by Atelier Kaiser Shen, the Haus Hoinka is nestled in a little village that is dominated by half-timbered 16th and 17th-century houses, a rustic church setting, and vineyards. The village center is being re-populated with residential buildings that attempt to follow a cubature that is commonly seen in the region. Haus Hoinka is a part of this plan – to revise residential construction in rural regions.

Designer: Atelier Kaiser Shen

A major initiative of this project is to utilize and encourage sustainable building construction using simple and clean materials that can be easily and efficiently recycled separately. The project aims to use natural and renewable materials that can be released into the natural cycle once again later. Bales of straw and a mixture of clay plaster were employed as the materials of choice for this initiative. The straw bales were used for the main framework, while the clay plaster mixture was utilized as a thermal envelope for the floors, roof, walls, and ceiling.

Straw is an extremely renewable and recyclable material and has a much lower climate impact as compared to other traditional insulating materials. The late 19th-century construction practice used by the architects focuses heavily on straw for this very reason. Also, straw can be sourced locally and is quite easy to handle. The straw bales are pressed into a wooden framework of 36.5 cm thickness, and any excess is cast off using hedge cutters. The straw bale construction is spread out throughout the entire framework – including the roof, floor slab, and the six facades.

The entire house has been raised by a floor to protect the straw bales in the floor slabs from water and to also dispense with elaborate sealing. As you can see the home has been placed on a concrete cross and four supports. Much like the other home surrounding it, the Haus Hoinka features a stone base and a cantilevered wooden building and also adopts the grain and roof shape seen in these other homes. The floor plan of the home is pretty flexible, allowing for multiple living constellations, and changes in the future.

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Top 10 sustainable architecture designed to be an environmentalist’s dream home

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Living in a sustainable, conscious, and smart manner has become not only a necessity but our moral obligation and duty toward the planet. Our homes should seamlessly integrate with, and nourish the planet, not drain her resources and reduce her lifespan. Being at one with Planet Earth, while taking rigorous care of her has never been more of a priority. In an effort to encourage an eco-friendly way of life, sustainable architecture has been gaining immense popularity among architects. They have been designing sustainable homes. These homes aim to harmoniously merge with nature, co-existing with it in peace, and allowing us to live in equilibrium with the environment. They reduce their carbon footprint and encourage a sustainable and clean lifestyle. And, not to mention they’re aesthetically and visually pleasing as well! From a tiny sustainable home that only measures 3×3 meters to a hostel in Shanghai built using recycled red bricks, natural clay, and reed bundles – these amazing designs will convert you into a sustainable architecture advocate!

1. The Coodo

A couple of years ago, German entrepreneur Mark Dare Schmiedel got pretty fed up with the chaos of Berlin and decided to move to the countryside, building his own quaint loft along the banks of the River Spree. The peace, calm, and zen that followed, got him wondering whether it would be possible to create a similar, but a mobile form of home, that could provide the same sanctuary to others. In his quest for such a retreat, he came across a mobile home concept designed by a group of Slovenian architects called ‘Coodo’. Schmiedel went on to procure the design rights of the concept, through his company LTG (Lofts to Go) and kickstarted the production of the units. The modular homes aim to bring you closer to nature, to a space away from the crowds, where you can truly enjoy the beauty of a moment.

Why is it noteworthy?

It features a curved, minimal steel frame with rounded edges and stunning floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The beautiful glass walls allow a generous stream of sunlight to enter the home. Whether on rooftops in the city, on beaches, on mountains, or alongside a river, the Coodo can be easily installed almost anywhere.

What we like

  • Integrated utilization of smart home technology.
  • Adherence to Passive House standards.

What we dislike

  • With its focus on natural settings, we wish there was a way to enclose the open patio space to close up when away from the home

2. The Octothorpe House

Called the Octothorpe House, this impressive home in the Oregon high desert area near Bend was commissioned by a couple Mike and Katherine to Mork-Ulnes Architects. They wanted a home that would harmoniously merge with the desert landscape, and be environmentally friendly as well.

Why is it noteworthy?

To meet the client’s desire for a sustainable home, Mork-Ulnes Architects decided to use ‘cross-laminated timber’ in the construction of the home. What makes this timber sustainable is the fact that it has a strength-to-weight ratio that’s similar to concrete, but it is five times lighter as compared to it. CLT is pre-cut off site, which also reduces construction waste immensely.

What we like

  • The architects utilized CLT to build the interiors and the exterior of the Octothorpe House, this prevented them from releasing almost 15 metric tons of greenhouse gases into the air

What we dislike

  • The central courtyard has an open design, which we hope has a retractable roof

3. 3×3 Retreat

Tucked away in the rainforest landscape near Southern Chile’s La Unión city is a tiny cabin called the 3×3 retreat. Designed by Estudio Diagonal Architects, the tiny home was designed to create a sense of cohesion between the ‘radical geometry’ of the structure, and the natural and organic essence of the site.

Why is it noteworthy?

The cabin aims to function as a comfortable, cozy, and functional dwelling in the raw rainforest, without disturbing or causing harm to the forest in the least. It is placed on a slope, that subtly overlooks the Radimadi River. This was a genius move since it allows the cabin to provide its residents with stunning views of nature.

What we like

  • The entire cabin was constructed by using common and economical building materials, such as standard pre-dimensional pine wood
  • Local construction techniques were utilized

What we dislike

  • The small footprint may not be suitable for everyone. Some people may find it too tiny

4. SOM LAND

Chinese design studio RooMoo transformed a pre-existing building into a hostel on the Chongming Island of Shanghai. Called the ‘SOM LAND’, the hostel is named after the traditional Chinese color of warm green, which makes a reference to the gaps found in between tree shadows and is a tribute to a slow-paced life.

Why is it noteworthy?

The construction of the hostel involved the utilization of local customs and handicrafts and caused minimum damage to the surrounding land. In fact, it incorporated the surrounding environment into the architectural scheme.

What we like

  • To incorporate sustainability into the structure, it was built using recycled old wood boards, wasted red bricks, tree branches, reed bundles found on the site, and bamboo and other locally sourced and discarded materials

What we dislike

  • Despite being renovated, the aesthetics of the hostel are old-school and can be considered out of style

5. LILELO

Nestled away in the center of Piedmont, Italy, surrounded by vineyards and woodlands is LILELO (Little Leisure Lodges). It includes a group of four adorable wooden cabins.

Why is it noteworthy?

The cabins are inspired by traditional haystacks, creating a triangular silhouette, which is supported by a trunk-like base. The cabins have been elevated off the ground, ensuring they don’t touch it, in an attempt to adopt a sustainable approach. This approach lays an emphasis on energy efficiency and eco-compatibility materiality.

What we like

  • The elevated cabins ensure that there is minimal impact on the ground, while also beautifully complementing the sloping topography
  • The eco-cabins artfully merge with their surrounding, creating the impression that is it at one with nature around it

What we dislike

  • There’s only one door in the entire cabin, which can lead to a lack of privacy

6. Koto Design x Adobu’s Prefab Home

Based in the English seaside village of Westward Ho!, the architecture studio Koto Design captures the mellow vibe of a day spent at the seashore and translates it into a home space. Inspired by Scandinavian simplicity and Japanese minimalism, the result comes through breezy, open floor layouts and organic building materials.

Why is it noteworthy?

The architecture studio is known for its extensive catalog of sustainable, prefabricated tiny homes that can be transported to locations across the globe. In a recent collaboration with the USA-based, backyard home-building company Adobu, the two studios worked together to construct a tiny, prefabricated home that marries Scandinavian design with a Californian twist.

What we like

  • Provides a semi-outdoor lifestyle
  • Is carbon-neutral, and provides off-grid capabilities

What we dislike

  • With its sloped roof, it will be difficult to grow the space vertically

7. The Folding Dream House

Michael Jantzen, a multidisciplinary artist based in New Mexico, is one artist who seems endlessly inspired by geometry. Merging sustainability, architecture, and technology, Jantzen developed an adaptable modern home called The Folding Dream House that expands from an enclosed, cubic structure into a multi-layered, dream home.

Why is it noteworthy?

From its initial conception, the Folding Dream House was designed as a place to sleep. Amounting to the size of a conventional hotel room, the Folding Dream House consists of two prefabricated, portable modules. Each rectangular module is envisioned mounted atop an elevated, triangular foundation that connects the home’s expandable support beams to its frame. On each facade of the Folding Dream House, Jantzen envisioned triangular overhangs and partitions as foldable panels that expand from the home’s frame.

What we like

  • The panels can be folded open or closed in many different ways around the modules in order to accommodate various functional and/or aesthetic requirements

What we dislike

  • It’s still in the conceptual phase, which means that there could be fundamental changes as the material restrictions come in the production phase

8. Common Knowledge x Tigín Tiny Homes

Irish social enterprise Common Knowledge has collaborated with Tigín Tiny Homes to create low-carbon micro homes that are meant to provide sustainable and economical housing solutions to people struggling to buy their own homes. Currently, property prices in Ireland are increasing by 11 percent every year, and this project hopes to tackle this ongoing housing crisis, and “empower people to take action on the housing and climate crises.”

Why is it noteworthy?

Besides building these sustainable and affordable dwellings, they are also providing training schemes to teach residents how to build and repair their own homes! The founder of Common Knowledge, Fionn Kidney said, “Ultimately, the plan of our Tigín project is not just to build these Tiny Homes, but to teach more than two hundred people with the skills to build these or any other projects themselves, whilst creating and releasing a free-to-use blueprint at the end of this year.”

What we like

  • The twenty-square-foot homes feature a facade of corrugated hemp panels, cork insulation, and natural rubber flooring
  • The homes are spread out across two levels, giving them a spacious feel, although they are compactly sized

What we dislike

  • Not the most aesthetically pleasing homes

9. Buster

Buster is located in Matamata, just a couple of hours away from Auckland, New Zealand. You will be able to hear the sound of spring river water flowing around you as you’re surrounded by trees, stones, valleys, and basically the joys of nature. It’s located below the Kaimai Range “amongst ancient native bush and farmland”. It is a tiny home perfect for one person or a couple who wants to temporarily or even permanently live in such an area and to have something that is built sustainably and with the environment and your comfort in mind.

Why is it noteworthy?

Instead of being made from timber, it uses black corrugate as it will last longer and can survive all the different kinds of weather that the area experiences. They also used plywood to bring “a sense of warmth” to the house and is in fact what is also used in the traditional kiwi trampers huts, giving you even more of a local feel but with modern conveniences. It’s a pretty good combination, having a more natural lodging but using sustainable technology and devices to give you comfort and function.

What we like

  • Buster is powered by GridFree solar panels
  • The house is oriented to the north so that it will be able to maximize the light during the summer and even during the winter

What we dislike

  • The solar energy is only enough to power a small fridge, and lights, and to charge your smartphones

10. Wattle Bank Home

Situated on a plot of land on Amy’s parents’ farm, the couple’s Wattle Bank home was designed and built by the modular home building company, Modhouse, founded by Amy’s parents Mark and Melissa Plank. Each 20-foot shipping container that comprises the tiny home connects to one another via integrated passageways. These hallways also help make the most of the available living space by hosting utility rooms, like the laundry and entryways. Throughout the home, floor-to-ceiling entryways and windows give the feeling of indoor-outdoor living, adding some extra space to the interior as well.

Why is it noteworthy?

Hoping to make their dream of a downsized, sustainable lifestyle a new reality, Plank and Vaughan found the freedom they hoped for in shipping container architecture. Merging three shipping containers together to form a 530-square-foot tiny home, Plank’s and Vaughan’s Wattle Bank home fits the bill.

What we like

  • Provides a feeling of indoor-outdoor living
  • Built using eco-friendly materials

What we dislike

  • Not much to distinguish it from other shipping container-based architecture out there

The post Top 10 sustainable architecture designed to be an environmentalist’s dream home first appeared on Yanko Design.

Top 5 eco-friendly designs to add a pinch of sustainability to your daily lives

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Our unhealthy practices and way of living are truly harmful to the environment and have been slowly leading to its deterioration. And the world has been changing (for the worse) because of this. Hence, it is extremely important to live sustainably and consciously and to take care of the environment in 2023! Integrating sustainability into our day-to-day lives has become crucial. And we can do this in various ways. Designers and creators are coming up with sustainable alternatives for almost everything. Every product that is necessary and utilized by us in our everyday routine has an eco-friendly alternative to it. Replacing our usual mass-produced designs with these greener options will make a huge difference to the environment and Mother Earth. From a Saturn-inspired sustainable lamp to a bicycle seat made from cork– we’ve curated a whole collection of sustainable product designs to help you go green.

1. 3D-printed Chairs

Designed by Johannes Steinbauer Office For Design, these 3D-printed chairs are produced using additive manufacturing and are created without using fabrics, springs, and foam! And they still manage to be super functional and comfortable. These chairs utilize rigid parts, instead of the typical racks from chairs.

Why is it noteworthy?

The design is simple enough with four legs, a round seat, and a single bar at the back. But if you want to add other components like more racks or even textiles, these can also be added through 3D printing. The different parts are easy to assemble and disassemble and once it reaches the end of life, you can dispose of the different parts separately and recycle them accordingly.

What we like

  • Super easy to assemble and disassemble
  • Sustainable design

What we dislike

  • No instruction on having a space-saving version of this design

2. Wasteware Collection

Viennese designer Barbara Gollackner collaborated with Australian chef and restaurant owner Martin Kilga to create the ‘Wasteware’ collection, a range of tableware made using leftover food! The duo created a collection of bowls, plates, and cutlery using industrial and personal food waste.

Why is it noteworthy?

To bring the interesting tableware items to life, the studio utilized food waste such as pork skin, and old bread – from personal and industrial waste.  The waste collected was dried out or cooked and then blended into a smooth paste which was held together using mycelium. Water or breadcrumbs were added to the mix if needed.

What we like

  • Combats the issue of food wastage
  • Colorful and vibrant aesthetics. They will add a spark of life to your dinner table

What we dislike

  • Not sure how durable the products are, and what is their lifespan

3. SATURNO

Of all the planets in our neighborhood, Saturn has always mesmerized our minds with its beautiful rings, and it has probably served as the muse for many lamp designs. This somewhat spherical lamp, for example, borrows some ideas from the planet’s morphology to create something unique, fun, striking, and sustainable, all at the same time.

Why is it noteworthy?

The SATURNO lamp is actually made of three disc-shaped parts that connect without the use of any glue or screws. There are cutouts instead that allow the parts to be inserted into each other at perpendicular angles. Two are made from walnut wood, while the third is made from resin, which could be any sustainable kind.

What we like

  • SATURNO’s LEDs can be controlled to show different colors and different intensities
  • A versatile lighting fixture that gives a glimpse of the heavens right inside your home

What we dislike

  • The lamp won’t stand with its horizontal light mimicking the light scattered by Saturn’s rings unless it is provided with some support

4. Packioli

A Turkish designer was able to come up with soap packaging called Packioli that is both hygienic and non-plastic and therefore more eco-friendly. One thing missing from most similar products is convenience and she was able to add it to this as well.

Why is it noteworthy?

She used artichoke leaves and combined them with peapod bioplastics in order to create packaging that commercial soap brands can actually use if they really wanted to be more eco-conscious in creating their products.

What we like

  • It not only solves getting rid of plastic for soaps but also helps get rid of artichoke waste, which is around 80% of the actual vegetable

What we dislike

  • The look of the packaging is not similar to what we’re used to, with the labels and other colorful decorations, so may not be preferred by everyone

5. FR-1 Bike Saddle

This Scottish brand is one such company that wants to bring more sustainable solutions for the bikes and bike parts that they manufacture. Their first product is called FR-1 Bike Saddle and it is made from cork

Why is it noteworthy?

At first, you would think this is not a sturdy and comfortable material for something that you will be sitting on probably for a long period. But cork is actually pretty durable and lightweight so it should be something that can last a long time and not hurt your tushy that much. It is also water-resistant and can offer better cushioning compared to other materials.

What we like

  • Stronger but also more lightweight compared to the more common steel that a lot of bike seats use
  • Sustainable + supports historic local cork farming

What we dislike

  • It is a bit expensive

The post Top 5 eco-friendly designs to add a pinch of sustainability to your daily lives first appeared on Yanko Design.

This cross-laminated timber desert home rates high on sustainability + good looks

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Called the Octothorpe House, this impressive home in the Oregon high desert area near Bend was commissioned by a couple Mike and Katherine to Mork-Ulnes Architects. Mike and Katherine decided to move out of their home in San Francisco, to a more outdoorsy rural space, as they felt it would benefit their young son. They wanted a home that would harmoniously merge with the desert landscape, and be environmentally friendly as well. To meet the client’s desire for a sustainable home, Mork-Ulnes Architects decided to use ‘cross-laminated timber’ in the construction of the home.

Designer: Mork-Ulnes Architects

The clients came to us with the idea of building one of the first U.S.-produced cross-laminated timber homes,” said Casper Mork-Ulnes. “They were inspired by the sustainability factor.” Now you may have heard of cross-laminated timber (C LT), it is essentially a wood product built from multiple layers of structural grade lumber that are arranged crosswise, and then glued and attached together. What makes this timber sustainable is the fact that it has a strength-to-weight ratio that’s similar to concrete, but it is five times lighter as compared to it. CLT is pre-cut off site, which also reduces construction waste immensely.

The architects utilized CLT to build the interiors and the exterior of the Octothorpe House, this prevented them from releasing almost 15 metric tons of greenhouse gases into the air. The wooden exterior of the home was treated using the shou sugi ban technique – a Japanese wood burning technique that provides resistance to fire, insects, and decay. The interiors, on the other hand, are inspired by Donald Judd’s Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. The interiors feature concrete floors and dusty pink walls. The home includes two bedrooms and two guest rooms. “One of the guest rooms has a hidden Murphy bed so there is an office for the work-from-home couple,” said Lexie Mork-Ulnes. “The enclosed central courtyard, visible from most of the rooms in the house, doubles as an outdoor playground for their son. In the winter, the large garage space becomes an indoor playroom.”

The home has a really spacious and open feel to it, there’s a sense of liberty and freedom that runs through it, making it an extremely special living space. “The layout offers orchestrated glimpses into the central courtyard and ample views of the sky and desert all around. This creates a delightful connection with the surroundings,” said the architects.

The post This cross-laminated timber desert home rates high on sustainability + good looks first appeared on Yanko Design.

Top 10 eco-friendly designs to incorporate sustainability in your everyday lives

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Our unhealthy practices and way of living are truly harmful to the environment and have been slowly leading to its deterioration. And the world has been changing (for the worse) because of this. Hence, it is extremely important to live sustainably and consciously and to take care of the environment in 2023! Integrating sustainability into our day-to-day lives has become crucial. And we can do this in various ways. Designers and creators are coming up with sustainable alternatives for almost everything. Every product that is necessary and utilized by us in our everyday routine has an eco-friendly alternative to it. Replacing our usual mass-produced designs with these greener options will make a huge difference to the environment and Mother Earth. From a Saturn-inspired sustainable lamp to a bicycle seat made from cork– we’ve curated a whole collection of sustainable product designs to help you go green.

1. 3D-printed Seats

Designed by Johannes Steinbauer Office For Design, these 3D-printed chairs are produced using additive manufacturing and are created without using fabrics, springs, and foam! And they still manage to be super functional and comfortable. These chairs utilize rigid parts, instead of the typical racks from chairs.

Why is it noteworthy?

The design is simple enough with four legs, a round seat, and a single bar at the back. But if you want to add other components like more racks or even textiles, these can also be added through 3D printing. The different parts are easy to assemble and disassemble and once it reaches the end of life, you can dispose of the different parts separately and recycle them accordingly.

What we like

  • Super easy to assemble and disassemble
  • Sustainable design

What we dislike

  • No instruction on having a space-saving version of this design

2. Vis-à-vis and Rendez-vous

I’ve realized that filling up your bathroom with thoughtful designs, only makes your time in it much more comfortable and smooth. And this collection of bathroom seating by Italian bathroom brand Agape strives to be exactly that! Designed by Marco Carini for Agape, the collection includes two seating designs created from recycled cork.

Why is it noteworthy?

The first design is called Vis-à-vis, and it is a light and sturdy stool that also doubles up as a tiny side table. The second design is Rendez-vous, and it’s a bench that serves as an extensive seating option for bathroom users. Both designs function as comfortable spots to sit and relax in the bathroom.

What we like

  • Crafted from recycled cork
  • The curving form resembles someone smiling

What we dislike

  • Not suited for bathrooms with a smaller footprint

3. The SATURNO Lamp

Of all the planets in our neighborhood, Saturn has always mesmerized our minds with its beautiful rings, and it has probably served as the muse for many lamp designs. This somewhat spherical lamp, for example, borrows some ideas from the planet’s morphology to create something unique, fun, striking, and sustainable, all at the same time.

Why is it noteworthy?

The SATURNO lamp is actually made of three disc-shaped parts that connect without the use of any glue or screws. There are cutouts instead that allow the parts to be inserted into each other at perpendicular angles. Two are made from walnut wood, while the third is made from resin, which could be any sustainable kind.

What we like

  • SATURNO’s LEDs can be controlled to show different colors and different intensities
  • A versatile lighting fixture that gives a glimpse of the heavens right inside your home

What we dislike

  • The lamp won’t stand with its horizontal light mimicking the light scattered by Saturn’s rings unless it is provided with some support

4. Plantd

Based in North Carolina, the firm Plantd Materials has produced a new material ‘Plantd’. Built using processed perennial grass, the material is said to be lighter and stronger as compared to traditional timber boards, but will capture more carbon.

Why is it noteworthy?

The firm says that the material is a “blend of fast-growing perennial grasses”, that they hope will be used as an alternative to traditional oriented strand board (OBS). OBS is a material similar to plywood that is used to sheath floors and walls.

What we like

  • An eco-friendly alternative to OBS
  • Stronger and lighter than timber

What we dislike

  • The production of the material hasn’t started yet

5. The Kreis Cup

Meet the Kreis Cup, a coffee cup that’s sustainable, durable, and designed to enhance your coffee-drinking experience! Available in cup and travel-mug styles, the Kreis Cup is a reusable cup made from used coffee grounds and plant-based materials, free of petroleum-based plastics.

Why is it noteworthy?

It is heat resistant and designed to keep your coffee hot longer. That being said, the Kreis Cup is still ultimately biodegradable, unlike the plastic-based to-go mugs you get at your local cafe or the breakable ceramic mugs you use at home. Once it reaches the end of its lifespan, the Kreis Cup disintegrates easily into the soil, leaving absolutely nothing behind.

What we like

  • Made from spent coffee grounds that have been dried, treated, and then suspended in a natural, plant-based polymer
  • Has the faint, unmistakable scent of coffee

What we dislike

  • You can’t use the Kreis to drink tea, juice, or anything else, given the lingering smell of coffee that comes from these cups

6. USB-C AirPods Pro

Ken Pillonel, the engineer and YouTuber behind the world’s first USB-C iPhone and AirPods, just revealed upgrades for the AirPods Pro. His custom build features a new 3D printed case that can be opened and repaired (thanks to screws on the back), along with a USB-C connector on the base instead of the conventional Lightning port. Pillonel’s build isn’t just a one-off custom project, though. He’s made his project open-source and available to the public, allowing pretty much anyone to upgrade their own AirPods Pro

Why is it noteworthy?

With this project, Pillonel’s taking matters into his own hands by actually selling the charging module on his website for people to buy. You can even find schematics for 3D printing your own AirPods case, on the off-chance that you happen to break yours while prying it open.

What we like

It’s  easy to open if you ever need to replace the battery on the inside

What we dislike

  • You will have to 3D-print your own module which could be inconvenient for some

7. Rootfull

At the 2022 London Design Festival, Zena Holloway presented an intriguing collection of sculptures, products, and wearables grown completely from grass root! Called, ‘Rootfull’, the collection was presented at the inaugural edition of the ‘Materials Matter’ design fair.

Why is it noteworthy?

The collection includes a dress with a collar piece, other coral-inspired sculptural pieces, substantial wall hangings, and root-grown lamps with interesting coral textures. Holloway’s collection explores the possibilities and scope of root-grown textiles, and how they can be widely utilized in the future.

What we like

  • Creation of a new kind of sustainable material

What we dislike

  • The root-grown textiles may not be very comfy to wear

8. The Bamboo Washing Machine

It doesn’t need extra water cycles, and it runs entirely without electricity. Meet the Bamboo Washing Machine, a cleverly low-tech appliance that washes your clothes efficiently with zero wastage and emissions.

Why is it noteworthy?

A winner of the Red Dot Design Concept Award, the machine is made entirely from bamboo wood, and plugs right into a shallow riverbed, using river currents to turn the machine’s drum. The water flowing through the machine helps wash the dirt off the clothes too, giving you an entirely automated device that runs entirely on its own, using the powers of nature and human ingenuity!

What we like

  • Has zero wastage and emissions
  • Runs completely on its own

What we dislike

  • It’s a concept!

9. FR-1 Bike Saddle

This Scottish brand is one such company that wants to bring more sustainable solutions for the bikes and bike parts that they manufacture. Their first product is called FR-1 Bike Saddle and it is made from cork

Why is it noteworthy?

At first, you would think this is not a sturdy and comfortable material for something that you will be sitting on probably for a long period. But cork is actually pretty durable and lightweight so it should be something that can last a long time and not hurt your tushy that much. It is also water-resistant and can offer better cushioning compared to other materials.

What we like

  • Stronger but also more lightweight compared to the more common steel that a lot of bike seats use
  • Sustainable + supports historic local cork farming

What we dislike

  • It is a bit expensive

10. Zens

As a step up from the trio of charging options, Zens – a reckoned manufacturer of wireless chargers empowering freedom – has come up with a 4-in-1 Modular Wireless Charger. Designed to power an iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and Apple Watch in one go, the wireless charger is a sustainable and quick charging solution.

Why is it noteworthy?

Since an organized desk is a dream for every systematized worker, this Zens charger can go a long way in ensuring that. The idea of having all the prized Apple devices charging in one go, in one location, is not short of the peace of mind. Additionally, it leaves the desk or the nightstand organized. What more do you want? Before you go ahead and reply to that with a “Nothing”; the Zens 4-in-1 Modular Wireless Charger, with its fancy antics, comes for a $180 price tag (more on the alternative pricing options later).

What we like

  • This modular charger is a convenient solution for a quick and fast charge to all your Apple devices

What we dislike

  • Exorbitant price tag

The post Top 10 eco-friendly designs to incorporate sustainability in your everyday lives first appeared on Yanko Design.

This ergonomic net positive office chair is the first task chair made from recycled fishing nets

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Since the transition from home offices to actual corporate offices has begun, it’s important to ensure that employees feel comfortable, safe, and motivated in their workplace. And adding the right furniture designs can greatly contribute to creating an office that is conducive to motivation and productivity. And if the design manages to be sustainable and ergonomic, well, you’ve hit all the checkboxes. And the Liberty Ocean chair by Humanscale aspires to be one such product!

Designer: Humanscale

Designed by the office furniture brand Humanscale, the Liberty Ocean chair, was as its name signifies, created using almost one kilogram of abandoned fishing nets found in the ocean! The Liberty Ocean chair range claims to be “first task chairs made from recycled fishing nets”, and is a brave and commendable effort on the part of Humanscale to tackle the evergrowing issue of ocean plastic. The chair is a successor of the brand’s original Liberty chair, which was also quite ergonomic and minimal. It was created with the late industrial designer Niels Diffrient and is still on sale in a wide range of colors and finishes.

Much like the Liberty range, the Liberty Ocean range also features Humanscale’s form-sensing mesh back. The intriguing back automatically adjusts and merges with the form and contours of the user’s body, in turn functioning as a rather comfortable and ergonomic seat. This is supported by a pivoting backrest, contoured seats, and a self-adjusting recliner. All these handy features come together to produce a chair with a “customized fit”.

“Liberty Ocean marries the timeless design of our classic Liberty chair while using recycled fishing nets that continuously degrade our oceans and marine life,” said Humanscale’s chief sustainability officer Jane Abernethy “At Humanscale, we’re constantly pushing the boundaries on how plastics and other materials can be reimagined into beautiful ergonomic furniture that not only serve our consumers but our world at large.”  The Liberty Ocean chair is net positive – which basically means it is climate, water, and energy positive as well. In fact, over 60% of Humanscale’s products are net positive. The Liberty Ocean chair also comes with a 15-year warranty – serving you well until you retire!

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This clean minimal 3D printed lamp was made using recycled cardboard and plastic bottles

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In today’s world, we don’t think twice before throwing something away. You can even go, so far, as to say that we are a ‘throwaway society’. Waste is at an all-time high.  22 million tons of paper waste is produced every year, with cardboard occupying a major portion of that. We buy things we don’t need and throw away things the second we’re done with them. And the Cozy Cleo table lamp is a rebellion against such a world! Based in Germany, the design studio EveryOtherDay designed this 3D-printed table lamp. It was created using recycled plastic bottles and cardboard. This sustainable product is a fine specimen of circular design and wholly embodies minimalistic design principles.

Designer: EveryOtherDay

Designed by Frederik Rasenberger, the lamp is a result of a circular process. This process involves recycled cardboard being pressed and molded into shape without the use of any kind of additives. It is shredded into pieces by adding water, and then pressed into shape by applying 5 tons of pressure using a hydraulic press. It is then left for a couple of days to set, allowing it to turn as hard as wood. Once it has been hardened and set, a delicate water-repellent layer of varnish is applied to it, providing protection against moisture. This hardened and molded cardboard forms the base of the lamp.

On the other hand, the recycled plastic bottles are shredded and processed via 3D printers. This processed plastic is transformed into the corrugated shade of the lamp. Once the two components are connected, they form the Cozy Cleo table lamp. The Cleo table lamp is a holistically sustainable product defined by minimal aesthetics, clean lines, an intriguing geometric shape, and a captivating visual language.

“It is a first step to make it clear to the consumer that we no longer own materials, but only use them until they are put to another use,” said Rasenberger.

The table lamp is Rasenberger’s innovative attempt to tackle the excessive wastage of cardboard, and instead incorporate it in a circular design process, providing the material with a new and redefined identity. In this entire process, almost 200g of cardboard, and 10 plastic bottles are recycled. Once the lifecycle of the lamp has ended, it can be recycled, allowing the materials to once again be utilized in a completely new and different manner.

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This wooden home is the world’s first 3D-printed home built entirely from bio-based materials

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The University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) created the world’s first 3D-printed home built completely from bio-based materials such as – wood flour or fine sawdust, mixed with a binder made from corn. Called the BioHome3D, the home was specially designed to address labor supply chain issues that are raising the costs of homes and reducing the availability of affordable housing.

Designer: The University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center

 

“With its innovative BioHome3D, UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center is thinking creatively about how we can tackle our housing shortage, strengthen our forest products industry, and deliver people a safe place to live so they can contribute to our economy. While there is still more to be done, this development is a positive step forward,” said Governor Janet Mills of Maine.

Currently, the state of Maine is battling against a fast-growing housing crisis and labor shortages. BioHome3D was created in an effort to provide a solution to these ongoing woes. The wooden home is printed using an industrial polymer printer and is done so precisely that it creates almost zero construction waste. The technology used to build the BioHome3D ensures that the home is primarily manufactured off-site using automation, which leads to less time being needed for off-site3 building and setting up the home. This serves as an excellent solution in tackling against the issue of labor shortage and supply chain.

The home occupies 600 square meters and has been equipped with 3D-printed walls, floors, and even roofs. All the elements of the home have been built using wood fibers and bio-resins, making the home 100% recyclable, and highly insulated with 100% wood insulation. Once you enter the home, you’re quite surprised by how warm and inviting it is. Most 3D-printed homes tend to be mechanical, and functional, not that those are bad traits for a home to have. But a house that manages to be both functional, and homely, is something worth appreciating in times when everything seems to be cold and automated.

The wooden walls, ceiling, and floor are further accentuated by the earthy colors instilled throughout the home. The walls and the ceiling seem to harmoniously interlink together, creating a sloping curved form, that protects the residents and provides them with a sense of safety and security. The home features a living room, kitchen, bedroom, as well as workspace. The windows in the home are of a limited number, but the home does seem to be well-lighted.

Renewable and locally sourced wood fiber feedstock were used to print the home, with the help of advanced manufacturing techniques and materials that were developed at the university. This, in turn, reduces the dependency on a non-sustainable supply chain, and creates homes that are low-income, and more widely accessible to the general public.

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