From Making Stuff To Designing Services
It was nearly 20 years ago that we saw daily TV updates of overflowing landfills and loaded trash barges roaming the Atlantic in search of a home. The days are long past for debating the merits of plastic versus paper, or boasting about the percent of recycled content in products and packaging. Design innovators have caught up with the notion of services as “dematerialized products.” The iPod, arguably the hottest product on the market today, makes a poignant (if unintentional) ecologically correct statement: Why struggle to light-weight a jewel box further when an iPod can access and store 1,000 CDs worth of music with no packaging—indeed, no CD at all?

From Changing Products To Changing Behavior
Thanks to Energy Star, computers, fax machines and photocopiers now sleep when they are not in use, and most conference rooms have motion detectors that turn lights off automatically when people leave the room. Not every product can be designed to offer such carefree efficiency, but we can start to make products that encourage more sustainable behaviors by making them fun. The dashboard on Toyota’s hybrid Prius is a great start—providing game-like feedback that helps drivers squeeze every possible mile from a tank of gas.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average home pollutes the air with more greenhouse gases than the average car. Over the next 10 years, I think we’ll harness the power of design innovation to make significant strides in reducing home energy use — while making our homes safer and more comfortable. Let’s start with the meter. Today’s electricity meters seem to be designed to conceal information from those who actually use the juice. Researchers are developing ways to turn our meters into home energy dashboards, allowing us to spot power-hogging appliances or the lights your teenage kids left on upstairs.

From Save A Watt To Save A Drop
Twenty years from now, two-thirds of the world’s people will live in a water-starved area. Beyond water purification and desalination technologies, this looming crisis means there will soon be an acute need for dishwashers, clothes washers and personal hygiene products, like shampoos and soaps, that conserve water. Nanotech fibers represent the potential for as much in the apparel industry, making self-cleaning fabrics possible. Such technologies demonstrate the potential for holism in design, naturally conserving precious resources while providing other consumer benefits as well.

What Won’t Change
Regardless of the product or issue, consumers will always try to make the most of their purchasing dollar. They will reach
first for those products that deliver superior primary benefits such as performance, good taste, health or aesthetics over saving the earth or even giving workers a fair shake.

Making things even more challenging, “green” products carry a heavy burden of misperception. More than 40 percent of consumers still equate environmentally responsible shopping with laundry detergents that leave clothes dingy or fluorescent light bulbs that cast a green hue. This is where designers come in.

What Will Change
Most product designers won’t invent a new water- or energy-saving technology, but they can design products with a lighter environmental footprint that consumers want to use and be seen with — and for which maybe even pay a premium. Doing so is good for business, can distinguish one’s career and can garner recognition within the design community. Consider the IDEA-award-winning Prius and Whirlpool Duet washers, for starters.

The good news for the planet in 2005 is that many critical technologies have already been developed. We already know how to save water and energy, extend product life and manufacture products with low toxicity. Successes like the iPod prove that lower-impact designs can even revolutionize mature industries. The better news for designers is that opportunities abound to use their talents to make environmentally sound technologies appealing and accessible to the mainstream, and give consumers the opportunity to put their money where their heart is. Now that’s a new and improved idea.

About Jacquelyn A. Ottman
Jacquelyn A. Ottman is president of J. Ottman Consulting, Inc., a New York Citybased marketing and new-products consultancy specializing in sustainable products and marketing. She is the author of Green Marketing: Opportunity for Innovation, and the founder and driving spirit behind “Design:Green,” a pioneering educational initiative for eco-innovation. More information can be found at www.greenmarketing.com and www.designgreen.org.

[ Source: J. Ottman Consulting, Inc. ]

Life itself has always been an inspiration to us. Not only our life, but also the vital energy of other human beings surrounding us. Beside the fact that growing plants is existentially very important for people, it also fills them with enthusiasm, plants have a very calming affect on people, they produce oxygen etc.

We buy a neatly packed small pot with a seed sowed in it. The seed can be waken by removing the lid on the top of the pot. When the daylight breaks through, the story begins. That causes curiosity and interest which won’t leave us calm until the plant grows (we will curiously observe its growth every day guessing which sort of plant it is). Instructions, written on the inner site of the lid will help us grow the plant correctly (temperature, humidity, light etc…), but won’t reveal the sort of the plant.

Some people will get fond of the plant in that cycle, they will get to know it better, maybe turn their experiences over to others. Some of them will take it as a surprise, joy and a spontaneous moment. But all of them will experience a moment of anticipation and joy watching the birth of a new plant, which symbolically speaks of joy, hope and life.

Customer
It offers a spontaneous moment of purchase to the costumer (it breaks daily habits and an excessively planned life). Costumers interests (what did she/he actually buy) will be aroused along with pleasant feelings of anticipation and finding out which plant will grow from their pot. (first we take a guess on the appearance of petals, we wait if the flower will grow…) Our curiosity causes that we like what we do and we feel well doing it.

Producer
According to transport, maintenance and keeping is Surprise flower a very simple product (no need of light or a big glazed window). Life expectancy is much longer than by plants in full growth, which need daylight and have to be watered regularly.

Recommendation
It would be reasonable to use well resistant seeds of plants, which grow relatively fast. Mineral material should be added to the soil, because it is indispensable for a successful growth of plants. There is an extra ring in the pot which absorbs the moisture, but when we open it, it takes over the function to cover the soil and in that way prevents germinations of weeds.

[ Source : uros-hohkravt.blogspot.com ]

David Graas – Not A Lamp
Lamp packaged in itself. Content: not a lamp.

What do most of you do to the shoe boxes that you ‘bought’ together with your shoe purchases? Do you keep them or throw them away? For me, I generally keep them. I will use them to store my old shoes. In my shoe closest rests many shoe boxes with shoes that I no longer wear. The purpose of their existence now is no longer to provide comfort to my feet but to collect dust.

Economist Richard Thaler suggests:

“The more expensive they were, the more often you’ll try to wear them. Eventually, you’ll stop wearing them, but you won’t get rid of them. And the more you paid for them, the longer they’ll sit in the back of your closet. At some point, after the shoes have been fully ‘depreciated’ psychologically, you will finally throw them away.”

This is what Mr. Thaler calls “sunk cost”.

Wonder what does this got to do with Green Design?

In my recent research into the solid waste recycling in Singapore, I learnt that the amount of paper and cardboard waste generated tops all of other waste streams in Singapore. The paper and cardboard waste accounts to almost the same amount of both plastics and food waste combined. I know some may say that this isn’t a fair comparison as the statistic is also paper and cardboard waste combined. And we all know that we use a great deal of paper.

But if you would just take a quick look around you, consider how many products that you purchased have entered your house in some form of cardboard packaging? I don’t know about you. But I sure see lots of them in my house. Just on my desktop alone, I can find my laptop, my printer, my speakers, my ipod, even my copic markers and pencils, all came in cardboard boxes, just a variation of colors. If I were to walk around my house, I am sure I can find even more.

Are these packaging necessary? Yes, to a large extend, I know most packagings are necessary because they aid in the logistics and transportation. But even if they do, are there other means to reduce or reuse them, than to send them to incineration or landfills or in a more eco-friendly way – recycle them, once they performed their task of ‘safekeeping’ the products into our homes?

I know of many designers that are working on making the packaging into a product itself. One of my former classmates suggested a concept of converting the cardboard boxes that we used in home shifting into temporary furniture for the new homes. AndI really like the idea.

Today I stumbled into some designs by David Graas, a designer from Netherlands, via Treehugger.

David Graas – Not A Box
This lamp comes as a box with all parts inside (bulb, plug, cable etc. + manual). You cut top and bottom yourself and then install. The cut out of the lamp shape functions as a graphical image of the lamp that could be inside the box, but is not.

David Graas – Don’t spill your coffee table
Coffee table made up from corrugated cardboard parts that are flatpacked and slide together for easy assembly.

David Graas – The FYS (Finish Your Self) stool
You not only assemble this stool yourself, but, because product and packaging are both made from cardboard, also finish it yourself. Two parts of the stool are simply cut loose from the box where the remaining six parts are packaged in.

David Graas – FYS (Finish Your Self) Junior
Puzzle your own chair together (with a little help from mama) using a large part of the packaging. The chair is made from corrugated cardboard and is 100% recyclable.

After looking through some of his designs and reading through his design philosophy/motivation, to do agree that there is a need for us, especially designers, to re-look into the concept of packaging and waste.

Here is what Graas wrote:

“Garbage is poorly designed. In many cases the only way to deal with it is to burn it or burry it deep into the ground.

Why didn’t we consider this when we designed this garbage in the first place? It’s not that it happened overnight. Actually it took a great effort to produce the materials and shape them into products. First they were designed. Many things were taken into account; shape, material, price, color, aesthetics, taste, packaging, etc. Then they were produced; trees cut, iron casted, plastic moulded. Then marketing was used to sell the products. They were transported to shops and finally sold.

But this, of course, is not the final stage. The product-stage is only a temporary one. Sooner or later (nowadays more sooner then later…) a product becomes garbage. People are continuously seduced by new products. More advanced, more features, more comfort. Or just new. New is delicious!

So the discarded products end up somewhere else. It’s not that they disappear. You can discard them from your home, but you cannot discard them from the planet. It’s a closed system. And everything you throw away will eventually come back to you like a boomerang.

Wouldn’t it be nice if the discarded products would not cause problems for the environment? That you could throw them away without feeling guilty? Or the materials could be completely re-used without much effort? Maybe garbage could even be so advanced that it is beneficiary for the environment?

Sounds crazy?

I don’t think so. It is just a matter of good design; using the right materials and the right production methods and applying the right design.

So let’s stop designing better products and start designing better garbage!”

[ Source : Davidgraas.com ]

Designed at the Mitsubishi Motors Design Center in Cypress, California, and debuted at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show, the Mitsubishi Concept-CT is a compact 4-door hatchback powered by 4 in-wheel electric motors and a 3 cylinder petrol engine.

The Concept CT was designed to be practical as well as fun, while returning an advantageous mpg. The 4 in-wheel electric motors are powered by batteries located under the rear floor and in the front. The fuel tank for the 1.0 litre, 3 cylinder engine – which drives the rear wheels and acts as a generator for the batteries – is positioned at the front also. Total power for the Concept-CT is 134 horsepower (100 kw).

Inside the Mitsubishi Concept-CT, design of the main controls is influenced by motorcycle forks, and clean simple lines are everywhere. The center console, floating between the front seats, houses a fingerprint reading security system, as well as a computer touch pad interface.

The thin, floating front seats and rear contoured bench seats comfortably accommodate 4 passengers. And the thin cushions and seatbacks increase available interior space.

The Mitsubishi Concept-CT provides a glimpse into the future of hybrid Mitsubishi vehicles incorporating in-wheel electric motors, a production goal Mitsubishi hopes to achieve by 2010.

The Mitsubishi EZ MIEV concept uses 4 in-wheel electric motors for power, like the Mitsubishi Concept CT which was shown at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2006.

MIEV stands for – Mitsubishi In-wheel motor Electric Vehicle – and EZ describes the versatile seating arrangement which allows the interior to transform from a space capable of seating 5 adults in a conventional manner, to a circular lounge area complete with flat-screen TV. The passenger seats can also be folded flat into the floor to create a large cargo space.

For a single box city car, the Mitsubishi EZ MIEV is surprisingly attractive, and has managed to escaped the usual gimmicks attached to similar concepts. The in-wheel electric motors are a feature which Mitsubishi hope to put in production cars before 2010. Despite being a reasonably radical design feature they are also extremely practical for this type of car, freeing up space inside the EZ MIEV where the engine and transmission would normally be. And because an electric motor provides 100% of its torque from 0 rpm they are well suited to nippy city driving. Not to mention they are environmentally friendly.

Overall the Mitsubishi EZ MIEV is a semi-radical concept which is well thought out and a real taste of the not-so-distant city car.

[ Source : Diseno-art.com | Dodgecityrc.com | Motortrend.com

How do you make your business card stand out? Make it grow! We’re seeing a lot of clever business cards perfect for your green thumb, and its about time! Jamie Wieck breathes new life into business cards with his Growing Business Card. This little number transforms from a regular business card to miniature house plant, sprouting alfalfa or cress when watered. Who wouldn’t want this on their desk?

[ Source : Inhabitat ]

[ See more of Jamie Wieck Design here ]

Ms Yuriko Koike, Japan’s Minister of the Environment, has created the “Mottainai Furoshiki” as a symbol of Japanese culture to reduce waste. Furoshiki is a Japanese traditional wrapping cloth which is used repeatedly in a stylish way. The utilization of this “Mottainai Furoshiki” will contribute to reducing household waste from plastic bags.

I’ve created what you might call a “mottainai furoshiki”. The Japanese word mottainai means it’s a shame for something to go to waste without having made use of its potential in full. The furoshiki is made of a fiber manufactured from recycled PET bottles, and has a birds-and-flowers motif drawn by Itoh Jakuchu, a painter of the mid-Edo era.

The Japanese wrapping cloth known as the furoshiki is said to have been first used in the Muromachi Period(1392-1573), when people spread it out in place of a bath mat or wrapped one’s clothes with it.

The furoshiki is so handy that you can wrap almost anything in it regardless of size or shape with a little ingenuity by simply folding it in a right way. It’s much better than Plastic bags you receive at supermarkets or wrapping paper, since it’s highly resistant, reusable and multipurpose. In fact, it’s one of the symbols of traditional Japanese culture, and puts an accent on taking care of things and avoiding wastes.

It would be wonderful if the furoshiki, as a symbol of traditional Japanese culture, could provide an opportunity for us to reconsider the possibilities of a sound-material cycle society. As my sincere wish, I would like to disseminate the culture of the furoshiki to the entire world.

Ms Yuriko Koike
Minister of the Environment, Japan

• A Traditional Japanese Cloth to Achieve the 3Rs

A furoshiki is an oversized square cloth, dyed in one of any number of colors and patterns, used for carrying and storing things, as well as for wrapping gifts, spreading on the floor, or even decorating a room.

The word furoshiki, literally meaning “bath spread,” dates from the mid-Edo Period (1603-1868). Furoshiki were first used at public bathhouses – then a social center for the common people – as a wrap to hold the bather’s clothes. Gradually, it came to be used as a wrap for carrying a change of clothes and toiletries. The use of furoshiki as a way to carry things spread quickly as commerce became more active and people moved around more for both commerce and pleasure.

Furoshiki were used during weddings as well. From the mid-Edo Period until the mid-Showa Period (1926-1989), the parents of the bride would often prepare furoshiki with patterns such as cranes, other symbolic birds, fans, pine trees and waves, as they were all believed to usher in happiness and fortune.

After furoshiki gained greater popularity in the Edo Period, people came up with various ways to wrap things and handed the tradition down through generations until it became an indispensable tool for the life of the Japanese. However, the custom and culture of using furoshiki faded away in about 1975, the mid-Showa Period. It is just a very recent trend to revive the use of furoshiki as movements to conserve the environment and re-evaluation of Japanese traditional culture have become more prominent. A number of new and innovative uses of furoshiki have been proposed on top of its conventional techniques. The furoshiki is becoming more and more versatile, being used, for example, as a gift wrapper or as a table covering or other interior decoration.

An important feature of furoshiki is that it is always reused. One would never throw away a furoshiki. Using furoshiki will thus reduce the use of raw materials to create packaging and decrease the use of excessive packaging, and thus contribute to saving resources and energy. The furoshiki itself symbolizes a kind of circulation – people wrap things with a furoshiki, tie the ends of the cloth and make a knot which differs depending on the furoshiki’s current role, but once the knot is untied and the cloth is spread, the original form of the furoshiki – a simple cloth – comes back.

A lifestyle based on the 3Rs (the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste) plays an important role as one of the measures to conserve the environment, and this lifestyle is truly necessary today. It may be a time for the Japanese traditional cloth, the furoshiki, to flourish again.

• How to use A Furoshiki?

[ Found via Japan's Ministry of Environment and Nifty.com ]

Rocking Pony and Rocking Horse
Celery Furniture’s version of a traditional rocking horse offers a fun ride with a modern twist. Minimal assembly required. Materials: Bamboo and/or formaldehyde-free medium density fiberboard; low-VOC paint and finishes.

Kristen & Dan Harding, Co-founder [Seated on Rocking Horse]
With degrees in architecture, Dan and Kristin share the belief that the most sophisticated design solutions are in fact derived from the simplest principles. Together, they founded Intrinsik Architecture located in Bozeman, Montana where Dan’s woodworking and steel fabrication skills have created numerous custom pieces. Bring their collective experience to Celery, they strive to offer good, progressive design available to everyone. This husband and wife team finds daily inspiration as new parent of their daughter, Alexandra.

Eiza Eddy, Co-Founder [ Seated on Ground ]
A mid-wife, Eliza delivered her 101st baby on the South Pacific island of Vanuatu. She moved to Montana, gave birth to daughter Claire, and teamed up with a rogue design troupe to launch Celery. Eliza brings to Celery education and professional experience in women’s and infants’ health, knowledge about the ways our built environment affects our heath, and a passion for innovative design.

The Concept
Through the process of sketching and modeling, we began to focus on a method for furniture assembly without hardware. The simplicity of the idea provided seemingly endless opportunities for creating a set of parts that makes a unique design statement when assembled. We strive to conceive pieces that have a timeless quality befitting a range of interior environments, from traditional to modern. The idea is old, but the look is new.

Changing Table
How many diapers do they say we change in the first year? A million, or so it seems. Make it more enjoyable, and complete your nursery collection with our changing table. Ample shelf space to store diaper, wipes, blankets and such. Later, convert the changing table into a bookshelf.

The Materials
It just made sense as both designers and parents to utilize an eco-friendly palette for our product. Bamboo plywood is beautiful and distinct; unlike hardwoods, it is made from 100 percent rapidly renewable resources. The selection of bamboo and non-formaldehyde MDF with low-VOC finishes affirms our commitment to strong and non-toxic materials.

Kid Tested
The challenge of designing children’s furniture is finding the balance between the appeal to an adult’s aesthetic and a child’s need for stimulating forms able to withstand the rigors of play. In addition to meeting industry standards for child safety, we sought the approval of our biggest critics: the kids. Several models of the rocking pony were developed before we found the right radius for the perfect ride. Our Lullaboo line is created to be used, loved, and passed on and on by offering durable and well-crafted pieces that are enjoyed by kids and parents alike.

Rocking Chair
A staple in every home: a child’s very own rocking chair. The small is perfect for one. The medium is wide enough for two. A small handle makes for easy moving.

Genuine design
Celery furniture was conceived by Dan Harding, Eliza Eddy and Kristin Harding. The firm’s emphasis on construction capitalizes on Kristin’s business project management experience and Dan’s talents of building, woodworking and steel fabrication. Bringing their collective experience to Celery, they strive to offer an environment that fosters progressive design derived from hands-on creativity. This husband and wife team finds daily inspiration as new parents of their daughter, Alexandra. Eliza received her degree in midwifery and is a licensed midwife. In addition to her background in women’s health, she also has experience working in the field of environmental health. After moving to Montana and having her first child, Claire, she teamed up with Dan and Kristin to launch Celery. Eliza brings to the company an expertise in the way manufactured products affect human and environmental health and a passion for innovative design.

Crib
As parents, we understand that sleep is a precious commodity…the innovative Lullaboo crib provides your child on inviting and safe place to sleep. Accommodating a standard full-size crib mattress, adjustable supports allow the sleeping platform to move as your child grows. The fixed side rails and minimal moving parts give this crib exceptional strength.

[ Find out more about Celery Furniture and its other designs here ]

As each day goes by the problems facing the earth become more and more apparent, its quite clear that many things must change and sooner rather than later. Throughout history graphic design has proved itself as one of the best means to instigate a change in society and communicate the urgency of action. We are looking for graphic artworks that will raise awareness of the environmental issues affecting our delicate planet. Your graphic design should provoke a positive change in the many things that are compromising our biosphere.

• Awards

1st prize: ¥500,000 YEN
2nd prize: ¥200,000 YEN
3 x 3rd prizes: ¥100,000 YEN (each)

Shortlisted designs will be used for flags, stamps, posters etc. and exhibited throughout the city of tokyo and inside the 100% design tokyo venue, during the design week (from 31 october to 04 november, 2007).

• Design Criteria

Your designs must satisfy the following criteria:
1. Original/innovative design – avoid the obvious, fashionable fads and styles, illustrate what is most important to you.
2. Attractive design – good sense of color, typography, illustration, photography etc.
3. Communication – your design should be related to the theme ‘love your earth’. deliver an instant message with your image.
4. Flexibility – it should be easy to adapt your design for different types of mediums, flags, stamps, posters etc.

• Registration Deadline

Application registration will be accepted until september 01, 2007.

• Submission Details

Whether you’re an individual or group, you can only enter a maximum of 3 works.

1. For each entry you are required to prepare a hi-res file of your design approximately 100 x 70 cm, 300dpi (the original hi-res image(s) of your entry will be requested if your work is shortlisted.)

2. Image files for uploading to our server each entry should consist of three images: one complete image of your design plus two details. Please note: use only .gif, .jpeg, (72 dpi) max 100 KB each file, RGB color mode. maximum image size for uploading is 600 (width) x 700 (height) pixels.

[ Click here for more info or to register for the competition ]

[ 2007 Macef Design Award Highly Commended Entry ]
[ 2006 Core77 Light Objects Notable Entry ]

A porcelain vase for collecting food wastes for composting and recycling. It is a precious vessel that introduces ritual into the meal and meal preparation and affords an esteemed treatment of food waste collection.

It can be used upright as a vase, flat to receive trimmings from a cutting board, or on its side during meals as a reinterpretation of the Victorian “bone dish”.

“Many cities are looking to the separate collection of organic wastes as a way to reduce load on landfills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide a nutrient-rich compost that can enhance local agriculture. However, this process is jeopardized when when people contaminate the organic waste stream with regular garbage. My research has shown that the key to a successful organics collection program is interested users who appreciate the value composting. If we are to value food waste, then we should treat it with importance.”

- designer, chris kirby

Chris Kirby is a Canadian industrial designer based in Tokyo, Japan. He offers a wide range of product design and engineering services and produces a collection of unique products for sale and license.

[ See more of Chris Kirby Design here ]

Guided by the company’s philosophy of “Responsible Desire” MIO has introduced design that strategically harnesses the most eco-intelligent aspects of conventional manufacturing, marketing and distribution methods. This approach has resulted in the integration of existing technologies and industries into a profitable value-added system that is both socially and environmentally responsible.

Beehive Softbowl
SoftBowls are a line of decorative bowls made from 100% molded wool. Manufactured in Philadelphia by one of the last remaining millineries in the US, each container is handmade by local crafts people. Designed to minimize environmental impact, SoftBowls use less than one tenth the energy needed to make comparable ceramic products.

[ Designer: Jaime Salm & Roger Allen ]

MIO’s Philosophy
Green = Desire
Addressing both needs and wants requires the merging of responsibility and desire. MIO delivers design solutions that fit our fast paced, innovation-driven culture and economy, while holistically addressing needs and wants.

People = Culture
Accessible design is the result of everyday life informing the creative process. Individuals shape culture through thought and action. Responsible product experiences must embody culture shaped by those individuals in order to thrive.

Context = Relevance
Origin provides users with story, meaning and value. Context builds physical, emotional and intellectual connections between a design and its audience.

Awareness = Intelligence
Products that address every stage of their lifecycle provide customers with built-in environmental choices and functional benefits. This kind of eco-intelligence is sought after not only for its social significance, but also for its practical and aesthetic merits.

Bendant Lamp
The Bendant Lamp is a flat-packed chandelier composed of a series of leaf-like shades surrounding a central fixture. Bend the shades up or down and create unique light and shadow arrangements.

Material and process guide the Bendant Lamp’s design, making it a true example of eco-centric design. The size of the lamp, shape of the cuts and flat packaging are a result of material and manufacturing efficiencies. In addition, the lamp welcomes the user as co-designer pushing the boundaries of design and self-assembly.

[ Find out more about MIO's design here ]

[ iF Product Design Award 2007 Winner ]

With an ecopod in the kitchen, pantry or laundry room, families will now have a simple, aesthetically pleasing, and rewarding way to process recyclables.

The ecopod e1 home recycling center features removable storage containers for glass bottles, paper, plastic bags or other recyclable materials.

Insert aluminum cans and plastic bottles into the top, and step on the pedal to hear the sweet sound of compaction via patented ecostep system.

Flattened containers automatically fall into a portable pod for redemption or curbside collection of 50-60 crushed containers.

• About ecopod, inc

Mission:
∙ Make Recycling Simple and Rewarding
∙ Partner with great people and great companies to raise worldwide eco-awareness
∙ Stay focused on solving tomorrow’s problems today

In late 2004, ecopod approached BMW Designworks, headquartered in Southern California, with the concept of building a better solution to manage recycling at home and in the office. Instantly, BMW Designworks knew that this was a revolution that they needed to be involved with. Designworks committed to ecopod and building a product that would help make recycling simple and rewarding.

With a foundation in design via sustainability, BMW Designworks has created the BMW X5 and Z4. Both cars are at the forefront of not only leading edge design, but also in regard to their ability to be easily disassembled and recycled at the end of their useful life. This combination of design excellence using sustainable practices is why ecopod partnered with BMW Designworks to create ecopod’s first recycling system.

ecopod and BMW Designworks are determined to “Change the Way the World Recycles.” Together, over the past 20 months, Designworks & ecopod have met with leading Public and Private groups to research opportunities to determine the best ways to raise eco-awareness and reduce the amount of recyclable materials sent to landfills.

The first ecopod e1 was built to test it’s effectiveness in compacting and storing a wide variety of beverage containers, ranging from small Starbucks shot cans to large Monster Energy drinks along with tall Propel Water bottles and smaller kid size Arrowhead water. The ecopod e1 compacted and stored all of these containers with ease. A new revolution in home and office appliances was born.

[ Read more of Ecopod here ]

Design Concept
The Cardboard House represents the reduction of technology and the simplification of needs. By demonstrating that we are able to recycle 100% of the building components at extremely low cost, the Cardboard House is a direct challenge to the housing industry to reduce housing and environmental costs.

Stutchbury and Pape, working in association with the Ian Buchan Fell Housing Research Unit at University of Sydney, see this project as a genuine temporary housing option.

A cardboard house places the least demand on resources and encourages people to shift their preconceptions about the “typical Australian house”. Many Australians enjoy camping on their holidays, easily shifting their lifestyle from the rigidity of the urban home to the freedom of the campsite.

Being extremely low cost and transportable, the Cardboard House could be used in a wide variety of applications. You could live in one while your permanent house is being built or renovated, for emergency housing, or for short-term accommodation.

Why Choose Cardboard?
Cardboard is not a traditional building material, however the introduction of innovative bonding, cutting and structural techniques has provided the opportunity to consider this lightweight and recyclable material in a more creative fashion.

All the material in the house is recycled, and recyclable, making it an excellent environmentally sustainable option for housing. The Carboard House is made of recycled carboard supplied by Visy Industries. This is completed with a waterproof roof made from HDPE plastic, which also forms the material of the flexible under-floor water tanks and the novel kitchen and bathroom ‘pods’.

How it all goes together
The Cardboard House is conceived as a kit of parts comprising a flat pack of frames, and infill floor and wall panels. It uses minimal fixings: nylon wing nuts, hand-tightened polyster tape stays and Velcro fastenings are used to assemble the frames and protective skin system.

The building can be assembled by two people over a six-hour period using appropriate scaffolding, and is transportable in a light commercial vehicle.

A series of repetitive portal frames are both spaced and stabilised by a standardised secondary structure, similar to the interlocking spacer sheets found in wine boxes. Once assembled, the structure provides a creative architectural frame from which the house derives its aesthetic.

Fixed and moveable furnishings, floor systems, door and opening frames, lighting and other services all relate to the structure and layout.

The roof covering is a lightweight material that is as transportable as the structure. Similar to a tent fly, the roof fabric assists in holding down the building, providing a diffuse light in the day and a glowing box at night.

Water is collected in bladders underneath the floor which double as ballast to hold down the lightweight building.

A composting toilet system produces nutrient-rich water for gardening.

Low-voltage lighting can be powered using a 12-volt car battery or small photovoltaic cells mounted on the roof framing.

Environmental features
- Uses 85% recycled materials
- All materials are 100% recycleable
- Recycling the house saves 12 cubic metres of landfill, 39 trees and 30,000 litres of water
- Extremely low cost, transportable, and flexible, this is a genuine housing option that could be used in a variety of temporary applications
- Autonomous servicing: uses only 12-volt batteries or small photovoltaic cells for power generation
- Composting system produces nutrient-rich water for gardening

[ Read more of The Cardboard House here ]