Paper Future:
Technology and the Furniture of Tomorrow
Paper Future is a digital fabrication experiment presented by SPACE10 in collaboration with Ransmeier Inc. The project explores how computational design could unlock new opportunities for democratising furniture design and fabrication processes in the future.
Paper Future had an ambitious agenda; to create a new generation of furniture that would be extremely affordable, sustainable, customisable and ultimately, desirable.
The design system needed to be five or less elements that can be combined to create at least three different furniture solutions. The final manufactured design needed to be fully recyclable in the consumer waste stream, and the traditional hardware needed to be drastically reduced, ideally so that the furniture could be assembled without tools.
Reclaimed paper waste was the selected material; globally abundant and very inexpensive.
According to the US EPA, in the United States, when measured by weight, more paper is recycled in municipal solid waste streams than glass, steel, aluminum, and plastic combined. In the EU, according to the European Commission, more than 85% of paper and cardboard packaging was recycled in 2018, reaching a record high.
Recycling one ton of paper conserves substantial oil, energy, water, and landfill space. Substituting recycled paper for virgin fiber also saves trees, an important asset in combating climate change. Additionally, untreated paper and cardboard are biodegradable, compostable, and may be recycled multiple times. That said, futher investigation into suitable bio-based resins would be required to stablize this material in humid, and high-temperature environments.
Paper Furniture is of course not a completely new idea. This project was also inspired by many iconic paper designs of the past, including;
Frank Gehry’s Grandpa Beaver Armchair, 1986 (New City Editions)
Peter Murdoch’s Chair Thing, 1968 (Mass produced cardboard chair)
AUGE HQ’s “You Can Get More” (Ikea Advertising Campaign, 2012)
Verner Panton’s Vilbert Chair, 1993 (Ikea collection)
Buckminster Fuller’s Die Cut Cardboard Dome Units, 1954 (Produced for the Milan Triennale)
Imagine a globally distributed network of factories, each producing hollow core paper lumber from recycled cellulose fiber. These super factories could produce the furniture as well as distribute the raw material to a greater web of localized smaller producers.
The paper lumber would be produced by combining recycled paper fiber with water under heat and pressure. The material is composed of a wavy, corrugated core sandwiched between thin upper and lower panels. The corrugation ensures the boards are rigid yet light, while also providing hollow interior spaces for the connection of the hardware.
In order to test the success of the system, we created a number of permutations for a selection of typologies.
The paper lumber could be cut to any length and angle, allowing for a combination of custom sized lumber and modular hardware.When the customer specifies a selected design, the parametric data prompts a CNC (computer numerical control) mill or laser to cut the lumber to length and the slots necessary for joinery.
This initial design included four hardware elements, allowing for 90-degree and 106-degree connections; H–Brackets and Paper Braces. The Aluminum H-Brackets would be produced from 100% recycled material, and the Paper Braces would be molded from the same recycled cellulose fiber as the lumber itself.
The brief asked Ransmeier Inc. to imagine assembling the furniture without using any tools, so these elements were designed to function as flexible and removable snap-fit connectors.
Creative brief and partnership selection: Georgina McDonald
Designer: Leon Ransmeier, Ransmeier Inc.
Design assistant: Sam Newman