Science, art and design

Small city apartments, house moves, and changes in living and working circumstances: These days, furniture has to fulfill demanding requirements in terms of functionality and flexibility. In collaboration with research partners and companies, we develop furniture that meets these requirements and is furthermore sustainable. The starting point is the new and further development of compounds, foams and imitation leather made from lignin - a plant-based residual material from industry. The aim is the creation of modular, lightweight furniture that can be easily disassembled, transported, repaired and repurposed. In other words, the service life of the material should be as long as possible. A further focus of the project is the recyclability of the furniture - from entire assemblies through to the single-type separation and preparation of the individual materials. Possibilities for the transfer of materials to other areas of application – such as the fashion industry and the motorhome sector – are also being considered.

Fiber-reinforced plastics are suitable for resource-conserving and climate-friendly lightweight-construction solutions. They can make cars, building elements, furniture, containers and many other products more sustainable - particularly if renewable or recycled raw materials are thereby utilized. However, can the products also be easily recycled? Product design, technology, waste streams, economic efficiency: The influencing factors are extremely diverse. So how can marketable products made from fiber-reinforced plastics be conceptualized for a sustainable circular economy? In this project, we are working in collaboration with designer Jonathan Radetz on the development of an interdisciplinary method for this purpose. The development of a piece of seating furniture will enable us to test whether the method works in practice. Based on this, sustainable development methods could be developed in a similar way for other (composite) materials.

Shelves, cupboards and other items of furniture are often made from fiberboard. Currently, they are usually produced using petrochemical binders that emit hazardous formaldehyde. With support from the Fraunhofer WKI, designer Sofia Souidi is developing a formaldehyde-free material made from wood fibers and casein – a binder that was already being used as an adhesive many centuries ago. Mixed-in color pigments and granulates combined with 3D moldability enable a diverse range of design possibilities. The material is to be made, amongst other things, from recycled components and should itself be recyclable.

The Fleete (canals) of Hamburg's inner city were once full of life. Today, they are mainly unused and lacking in vegetation. The designers Beate Kapfenberger and Martha Starke would like to breathe new life into the urban waterways. With the support of the Fraunhofer WKI, they are developing floating islands which can carry plants and which are made from a robust and lightweight bio-material. This consists of 100 percent renewable raw materials – including recycled balsa wood from wind turbines. Through this project, a new form of green space will be created in the city: valuable biotopes, recreational spaces and meeting places on the water.

Seating furniture should be stable, attractive and comfortable. As a result, it often consists of a load-bearing body with upholstery. Designer Jonathan Radetz has a completely new approach to this. With the support of the Fraunhofer WKI, he is developing a chair whose seat shell and upholstery are made from organic sheet in a single step. Discarded and recycled textiles are utilized for the fabric. Furniture made in this way is lightweight, can be produced inexpensively, and offers a wide variety of materials and shapes. Chairs are just the beginning - the technology can be transferred to other areas of application.

Many chemical products, such as paints, adhesives, plastics and synthetic fibers, are based on aromatic carbon compounds. Currently, the majority of these are derived from fossil raw materials such as crude oil, natural gas and coal. The vegetable raw material lignin presents a promising alternative and is created in huge quantities as a waste product within the paper industry. The petrochemical source materials cannot, however, simply be replaced by lignin. Creative materials research is necessary here. In our project, the application of artistic methods enables us to identify suitable application possibilities for lignin, develop prototypes and establish a communication strategy. For this purpose, we are working together with designers from the Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin. One aim of the project is the initiation of a sustainable connection between science, art and design.