PREVIEW

Designers from ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne presented sponge furniture that “grows” itself at Milan Design Week in late April 2024.

With a view to optimising transport and promoting sustainability, while retaining functionality and aesthetics, UPS – Under Pressure Solutions presents a suite of lightweight furniture and objects made from cellulose sponge, a biodegradable and renewable material.

Inspired by Italian architect-designer Gaetano Pesce’s UP5 chair (1969), made from polyurethane foam that self-expands when unpacked, UPS was initially an applied research project. Conducted over a two-year period by five industrial designers teaching at ECAL — Camille Blin, Christophe Guberan, Anthony Guex, Chris Kabel, and Julie Richoz—it focuses on materials that are capable of occupying a fraction of their volume, then reconfiguring themselves without mechanical assembly.

After a meticulous process of selecting materials, the team opted for cellulose sponge. Made from wood residues, this material has remarkable properties: it is biodegradable and expands ten times its initial size on contact with moisture. The development of prototypes, based on numerous experiments that were carried out beforehand, highlighted the material’s versatility and strength, demonstrating its potential as a sustainable alternative for furniture production.

Tiffany Abitbol, Head of the Sustainable Materials Laboratory at EPFL — Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, praised the innovative approach of this project, which offers an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional plastics.

“There are so many fibre-based materials, many of which are in our waste streams; it’s exciting to try to find ways of converting them into something useful,” she said.

The Milan exhibition presented the process and results of this project, as well as everyday objects created by Master’s students in Product Design and the research team. It demonstrates the school’s commitment to fostering innovation and creativity in design and reveals exciting prospects for sustainable furniture design.