UnWaste Bookcase

BACKGROUND In 2012 the researcher was commissioned to provide interior design for an apartment in central Melbourne, that provided operable spatial enclosure and additional storage, via a series of rotating bookshelves fabricated from salvaged local building sites. The work contributes to Architectural Design, specifically in the adaptive re-use of waste construction materials in interior and furniture design. The project furthers the research of the researcher's former practice Regional Associates, and contributes to areas of research that have been explored by LoT-ek, a21 Studio, Superuse Studios among others. CONTRIBUTION The UnWaste Bookcase expands the exploration of adaptive re-use of waste building materials in architectural and furniture design. Oscillating between architectural intervention and furniture, the project performs a spatial function in dividing or unifying a larger space, while accommodating storage requirements. By salvaging plywood originally used as hoardings around construction sites, the project not only reduced waste (in this case reducing landfill volume by nearly 1 Ton of material), but also reduced the amount of virgin timber stock required to be extracted from the natural environment - with associated benefits of reduced transportation, reduced water and electrical consumption and associated carbon footprints. While the project is a bespoke design for a unique brief and site, it can also be considered a prototype for UpCycleing design strategies in cabinet-making and architectural joinery. SIGNIFICANCE The project's significance was recognised as a finalist in the 2012 Victorian Premier's Design Award, the 2012 IDEA (Interior Design Excellence Awards) - Furniture and Product Category and as the winner of the 2012 Melbourne Design Award, Residential Interiors Category. Reviews of the work have appeared in the China Morning Post, Green Magazine, Artichoke, Abode Magazine & the Australian Financial Review.