Design for Disassembly — A ready solution to cross over to Circular Furniture Design.
Whenever I discuss knockdown furniture capabilities in my class, it is common for my students to reference IKEA’s knockdown design and flat packing features. Besides being logistically efficient, the knockdown features also create a user experience in the process. Whether it is a desirable one or not, we will discuss it another day.
Design for Disassembly and Flat Packing is not something new in furniture design. Michael Thonet did it in 1859 with his Thonet series. Well not exactly flat-packed but rather a Box Packed I call it. The simple six pieces, ten screws and two nuts components of Thonet №14 mean any Tom, Dick, and Harry can assembly it. Besides that, it enabled №14 to be shipped internationally. I believe today, №14 is still one of the preferred chairs for café settings in many countries.
Mind you! The aesthetic was not well commented during its inception, although it won a gold award during the International Exposition of 1867. It was not until much later in 1920 that №14 was picked up by the Bauhaus modernist and revered as the cornerstone of modernist furniture design.
Connecting the dots
The recent flood that created havoc in the Kuala Lumpur district has prompted me to recall an incident closer to home. Last year, a leaky roof flooded my house, and the rainwater destroyed all my knockdown furniture (you know where I bought them). I noted a few issues I think are worthy of discussing.
The chipboard. The first thing that comes into my mind is what are we going to do with the soiled chipboard? These are some of the questions I asked myself.
How can I recycle or reuse it?
Are the materials green enough (non-toxic) to be composted or mixed with other filler to form a new material? Can I do it on my own? If not, will the furniture producer be willing to reclaim or collect it back from the users after the end of life? The service is not available at this juncture.
What is the alternative to chipboard? Solid timber? Corrugated plastic board? Metal? Cardboard? Linen? Cement?
The fasteners. Notice the metal fasteners and wooden dowel left behind when I stripped it down?
If we adhere to the circular furniture design framework, we should collect these fasteners for recycling. Throwing them together with the chipboard will not only contaminate the recyclability of the board at the same time a waste of resources.
Enclosed are questions for exploration:
Furniture design without needing any fastener? A hidden or invisible joining method is built into the furniture design. Like the old furniture masters who used mortises, except we need it to be easily disassembled whenever we need to.
Create better fasteners for easy assembly and ease of dismantling. The existing fasteners are tedious and difficult to dismantle. It is too troublesome to strip them clean before the user throws them into the bin.
Linear furniture design to Circular furniture design.
The knockdown technology is no longer only an efficient logistical solution; it is a convenient bridge for a furniture designer to cross over from Linear Furniture Design to Circular Furniture Design.
The knockdown features equate exchangeability and modularity of the components. For example, users can replace worn-out parts with new ones, and the old pieces are ready for collection for upcycling or refurbishment.
Most large Malaysian furniture manufacturers are well-versed with knockdown technology, as many produce for international brands. You can quickly source knockdown fasteners in the market, and at the same time, you can collaborate with some of the local fasteners makers when you are designing a new type of fasteners or assembly method.
In summary:
The chipboard
If you cannot source greener chipboard, you can use an alternative material. The best is to source locally produced materials. Do not deduct the local natural or soft, flexible materials in your selection. There is no rule to stop furniture designers from designing using soft materials for the cabinet enclosure.
Alternatively, you can research a greener, non-toxic composite made of chipboard. I believe there are greener chipboard out there but might not have the structural strength or finishing made for prolonged usage. Many chipboard finishes wore off during use. Because chipboard is made from woodchips, we might eventually have to find ways to break the pieces down and use them to create a new composite. This could be a new avenue for brands to explore.
You can also devise a system to allow users to recycle or refurbish their old furniture. Instead of setting up the downstream support unit within your own organization, you can work with quality smaller local suppliers for refurbishment and upcycle solutions. The inclusivity will help the local Small Medium Industry and the community.
Another alternative would be rental furniture which is gaining traction in a few counties. I would reserve this for another discussion later.
The fasteners
Can we do away with fasteners completely? Design with a built-in joining mechanism? Let’s relook into the traditional joining method.
We can also redesign a fastener that is easy to assemble and allow ease of disassembly. The features should let the fasteners strip off the furniture easily at the end of life.
In short, going circular is more accessible than we thought for furniture design. Let’s all inspire and encourage each other to innovate and evolve into a greener world.
